United Company Rusal and the management of Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest producer of nickel, continued their bitter fight for control of the mining firm last week, as Norilsk shareholders rebuffed a request from Rusal to change the board of directors. It is a struggle that media observers have described as the Russian corporate scandal of the year.

The battle over the death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky reached new heights this week, after former Magnitsky’s employer Jamison Firestone released another video on YouTube, exposing one of the prosecutors involved in the case.

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) may soon be reviewing a possible connection between U.S. cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris and a circle of corrupt Russian government officials.

Russian aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska claims he wants to head the newly elected board of directors of Norilsk Nickel, causing tensions between Norilsk Nickel and the aluminum giant Rusal, Russian Reuters reported yesterday.

Slon.ru, Russian online newspaper, compiled the "Ikea index", the relative cost of the 32 Ikea products basket across 28 countries. According to the newspaper, the index shows the cost of doing business in the given country. And guess what: Russia's Ikea products are some of the most expensive in the world.

Back in the 19th century, it took approximately 5 weeks for a letter to arrive to St. Petersburg, Russia from California. 150 years later, it takes two months (if it ever arrives at all.)