Inflation and Monetary Policy in Russia in November 2012

In November 2012, RF Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdiukov, accused of abetting corruption in his ministry, was sacked from office; former Deputy Minister of Regional Development was arrested; criminal proceedings against the managers of Rostelekom and the former top officials of the RF Ministry of Agriculture began to be pursued more vigorously. All those developments were comprehensively covered and commented on by the news media, which indicates that the authorities are anxious to increase their popularity by demonstrating a resolve to press ahead with both self-purification and war on corruption. Although the post of Minister of Defense was given to Sergey Shoigu, one of the few politicians with high approval ratings, it is unlikely that he will pursue any radical reforms in his sphere of competence. The RF Government managed to dissuade Vladimir Putin from transferring state-owned energy assets into the control of Rosneftegaz, a conglomerate headed by Igor Sechin