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RussiaBoris Berezovsky said that he was selling the remnants of his business empire, including theKommersant newspaper, to his longtime partner Badri Patarkatsishvili in an effort to shield itfrom Kremlin pressure. Berezovsky, a kingmaker turned fierce Kremlin critic, said he wasselling out because his Georgian partner, who has been a joint owner in many ofBerezovsky’s businesses, was unnerved by his recent claim that he has spent the last year anda half working to overthrow President Vladimir Putin. Speaking by telephone Friday fromLondon, Berezovsky said the handover could help shield the businesses from mountingpolitical pressure. “Nothing is ever safe in today’s Russia. The authorities can take awayproperty whenever they like. But this will help reduce the risks,” he said. Apart fromKommersant, however, it is not exactly clear which businesses are left for Berezovsky to sell.Berezovsky and Patarkatsishvili have been business partners since the early 1990s, when theyset up LogoVAZ, the car dealership from which the rest of their vast oil-to-metals empiresprang. Their clout swiftly vanished in 2000 when Berezovsky fell from Putin’s favor, justmonths after helping engineer the latter’s rise to power. After a criminal investigation intoBerezovsky’s business practices began, Berezovsky and Patarkatsishvili fled the country andfaced attempts by Russian prosecutors to extradite them on charges of large-scale fraud.Berezovsky denies the charges. Berezovsky said Friday that even though Patarkatsishvili wasa close associate, the sale would reduce the risks for Kommersant and the other businesses.“Badri is only wanted by the Russian authorities because he happens to do business with me.As soon as we stop being partners, I believe the charges against him will be lifted,”Berezovsky said. Berezovsky fled Russia in November 2000 for Britain, where he hasreceived political asylum. While Berezovsky settled in with a country estate near London, asquad of French Foreign Legion veterans as bodyguards and a plush office in Mayfair,Patarkatsishvili headed for his native Georgia. There, he has become one of the country’swealthiest and most well-connected businessmen. But while Patarkatsishvili has maintained alow political profile, Berezovsky has threatened to take his revenge on Putin and once vowedto invest $100 million to oust him from power. Even though Berezovsky has spent the lastfew years touting his influence, many in Russia see him as a spent political force.Berezovsky claims to have helped bankroll Ukraine’s Orange Revolution, in which hundredsof thousands took to the streets in November 2004 to help pro-Western presidential candidateViktor Yushchenko gain victory over Kremlin-backed Viktor Yanukovych. WhileYushchenko and his aides have denied ever receiving any financial support from Berezovsky,the claims nevertheless unnerved the Kremlin. Last month, Berezovsky went on EkhoMoskvy radio to say he would “seize power by force” in Russia. Meanwhile, via his NewYork-based For Civil Liberties foundation, Berezovsky has been quietly financing NGOs andgroups that oppose the Kremlin, both in Russia and in the “near abroad.” Kommersant, too,often takes an opposition line. Berezovsky said Friday that the sale of his stake in the paper toPatarkatsishvili, who is already a co-owner, would not have an impact on its editorial policy.“Badri is already chairman of the board,” Berezovsky said. Kommersant commercial directorPavel Filenkov also said he did not expect any change. “This isn’t even a sale. It’s aredistribution of shares,” he said.http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=16850; February 22, 2006RussiaGazprom's media arm appears to be on the verge of adding to its newspaper portfolio bysnapping up Komsomolskaya Pravda, the most widely read paper in the country. Prof-Media,the tabloid's owner and a part of metal magnate Vladimir Potanin's Interros holding, declinedto discuss any negotiations on Wednesday, but confirmed that it was getting out of the72