* Russian state-controlled oil producer Rosneft submitted documents on its Russian stock market IPO to the federal financial watchdog
* Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref said the issue of access to Russia's financial markets remained the key obstacle to concluding bilateral negotiations with the United States on accession to the World Trade Organization
* Alexander Kalugin, a Russian envoy to the Middle East peace process, said Russia did not plan to be a mediator between Palestinians and Israelis by advocating talks with Hamas
* The Foreign Ministry said Russia had proposed to hold a session of the commission on the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict resolution in Moscow instead of Vienna
* Prosecutors in Turin said they were opening a case against Russian biathlete Olga Pyleva, who won silver four days ago in the 15k at the Olympics in Turin but was suspended for two years and ordered by the IOC to leave Italy after testing positive for a banned substance
* The State Duma asked the federal authorities to guarantee the country's national security in the Caucasus in the wake of the escalating situation around South Ossetia, a self-proclaimed republic in Georgia
* Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia did not plan to give up the army draft anytime soon
* The Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare said bird flu outbreaks had been reported at two poultry farms in Daghestan, a republic in southern Russia
* Russia's leading figure skater, Yevgeny Plushchenko, claimed his debut Olympic gold in the men's free program and continued the country's domination of the event
* Ihor Dryzhchanyi, head of the Ukrainian Security Service, said the agency was conducting checks of the activities of natural gas joint venture Rosukrenergo
