Russia’s bonus babies

Today’s Johnson’s Russia List e-mail featured an Interfax account of the only-in-Russia story of a state-directed activist group (Nashi) picketing a state-controlled bank (Sberbank) over (what else) excessive executive bonuses: Nashi spokesperson Kristina Potupchik said that the demonstrators demanded that Sberbank managers voluntarily refuse to accept the bonus payment for last year. "We believe that ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

Today's Johnson's Russia List e-mail featured an Interfax account of the only-in-Russia story of a state-directed activist group (Nashi) picketing a state-controlled bank (Sberbank) over (what else) excessive executive bonuses:

Today’s Johnson’s Russia List e-mail featured an Interfax account of the only-in-Russia story of a state-directed activist group (Nashi) picketing a state-controlled bank (Sberbank) over (what else) excessive executive bonuses:

Nashi spokesperson Kristina Potupchik said that the demonstrators demanded that Sberbank managers voluntarily refuse to accept
the bonus payment for last year. "We believe that such a lavish remuneration at a time of crisis is an open challenge to the state and society," she said.   

Sberbank in the fourth quarter of 2008 paid the board members bonus payments totalling R933m (28m dollars at the current exchange rate), increasing the salary and bonus payment to the managers by 5 per cent from R892m in 2007. The payment rise is linked with the increase of the number of board members, the bonus payment for one top manager in 2008 was reduced over 2007.

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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