As always, the very end of the year is the time to take stock. The outgoing year was really rich in various events. Forbes experts selected the most amazing, exciting and significant of them.
It was this impressive selection that formed the basis of today's Top 10 highlights of 2013. It is not easy to distribute them according to their importance, therefore a dozen are compiled in chronological order.
10. January 2013 - Obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation by Gerard Depardieu
The famous French actor became a Russian citizen. Together with his passport, Depardieu received apartments in Grozny and Saransk for his great contribution to the development of culture and cinematography. The actor himself said that he loves France and Russia equally, but intends to live in the Belgian city of Neshen.
9. February 2013 - The fall of the Chelyabinsk meteorite
Since the Tunguska meteorite, the Chelyabinsk "guest" from space has become the largest of all meteorites that did not explode above the surface of the ocean. The blast wave broke glass in 7,000 buildings, and 1,600 people received various injuries. The largest meteorite fragment weighing 600 kg was raised in autumn from the bottom of Lake Chebarkul.
8. March 2013 - The financial crisis in Cyprus
Investors of two banks of the Republic of Cyprus Popular Bank and Bank of Cyprus lost up to 60% of the invested funds. It is believed that Russian citizens and companies kept in these banks up to 55 billion euros. The crisis in Cyprus erupted, despite the fact that the European Union allocated 10 billion euros of financial assistance to the island.
7. April 2013 - The case of embezzlement in the Skolkovo Foundation
A criminal case has been opened against the senior vice president of the Skolkovo Foundation, Alexei Beltyukov. He was accused of misuse of 3.5 billion rubles of budget funds. The money went for the illegal construction of facilities, as well as the unjustified issuance of scientific grants.
6. May 2013 - IPO of Qiwi
The company, which owns a large network of payment terminals, conducted an IPO on the Nasdaq exchange. Qiwi investors valued at $ 884 million. Most of the securities put up for auction were bought by specialized investment funds from the United States.
5. June 2013 - Arrival in Russia of Edward Snowden
The scandalous former CIA and NSA employee spent five long weeks at Sheremetyevo Airport. Only on August 1, Snowden was granted political asylum in Russia for a period of 1 year. According to the lawyer Snowden, the latter works in one of the Russian Internet companies.
4. June 2013 - President Putin’s divorce
The reason for the collapse of the marriage was declared permanent employment of the president. The Putin couple lived together for about 30 years, raising two daughters. Also, by the end of 2013, rumors about the possible divorce of the American couple Barack and Michelle Obama began to actively circulate in the press.
3. November 2013 - Criminal case against Anatoly Serdyukov
The case against the ex-minister of defense was initiated under the article “negligence”. Serdyukov was dismissed in October 2012 after a scandal with misuse of funds from the Oboronsersis holding subordinate to the Ministry of Defense.
2. November 2013 - the beginning of a new banking crisis
The Central Bank of the Russian Federation on November 23 revoked the license from the Master Bank, which caused a wave of talk about the impending crisis. Soon, Smolensky, Investbank, BPF, Rublevsky and Askold joined the ranks of banks without a license. In order not to become a hostage to license revocation, keep your savings in reliable banks.
1. December 2013 - Clemency of Mikhail Khodorkovsky
This was the highlight of the year. The former Yukos leader spent more than 10 years behind bars. According to surveys, 47% of Russians approve the pardon, about 40% are indifferent to this, and only 13% do not approve of such a decision by the president. Where this former businessman will live and what he will do, even the people closest to Khodorkovsky do not yet know.
