ft.com Beyond BRICS 25 September 2012
The Kremlin is on a charm offensive to persuade international investors to take a second look at Russia. But given the almost universal skepticism and Russia’s appalling investment image the Kremlin has eschewed words, plumping for something a lot more effective – helping foreigners make money.
Over the last year and half Russia has launched a disparate array of initiatives to make the country a bit more appealing to investors. But regularly rubbished in the international press and constantly shooting itself in the foot with one PR debacle after the next, the Kremlin has been forced to put its money where its mouth should be.
So on Tuesday, president Vladimir Putin ordered prime minister Dmitry Medvedev to add an extra RUB250bn ($8bn) to the Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), headed up by Young Turk and former fund manager Kirill Dmitriev (pictured).
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