PRESS DIGEST - Russia - Oct 8

MOSCOW Oct 8 (Reuters) - The following are some of the leading stories in Russia's newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

KOMMERSANT

www.kommersant.ru

- More than 500 people gathered for a rally in central Moscow on Wednesday to commemorate prominent journalist and outspoken Kremlin critic Anna Politkovkaya murdered three years ago, the paper writes.

- Officials in St. Petersburg plan to earn 6 billion roubles ($201.5 million) by selling real estate, including historical buildings, the daily writes.

- Kazakh state oil firms KazMunaiGas [KMG.UL] is seeking a strategic partner to invest in its Pavlodar oil refinery in return for guaranteed supplies of crude, in a deal that might possibly interest Russian companies such as Gazprom Neft (SIBN.MM), the daily reports.

VEDOMOSTI

www.vedomosti.ru

- Russia's federal budget has not allocated money for the construction of Moscow's metro in 2010, the paper writes, citing officials.

- For the first time since 1998, imports of pharmaceuticals to Russia dropped by $460 million to $ 4.09 billion in the first half of 2009, the paper says citing analysts.