PRESS DIGEST - Russia - Oct 15

MOSCOW Oct 15 (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

- Russia's troubled car maker AvtoVAZ (AVAZ.MM) is de-facto bankrupt and can only be saved if it cuts at least 50,000 jobs, the daily reports, citing a memo from Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade.

- Russia will produce 93 million tonnes of grain this year, according to a revised forecast by the Agriculture Ministry.

- Russian trade union officials have criticized the government for under-reporting unemployment.

VEDOMOSTI

www.vedomosti.ru

- Gazprombank, Russia's No.3 lender, posted record high losses of 15.5 billion roubles ($525.4 million) in September, under Russian accounting standards.

- Russia and India could sign a long-delayed agreement on the modernization of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier for the Indian navy, the daily reports ahead of talks between the countries' defence ministers.

ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA

www.rg.ru

- Russia's military chief of staff Nikolai Makarov will stay in office for another three years despite turning 60 last week, the age limit for his position, according to a presidential decree.

IZVESTIA

www.izvestia.ru

- Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who is visiting Moscow, could become the first buyer of Russia's new KA-52 "Alligator" attack helicopter, the daily says after the craft was demonstrated for the sultan on Wednesday.

NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA

www.ng.ru

- Russia and the United States could resume consultations over the use of Azerbaijan's Gabala radar facility as part of U.S. anti-missile shield plans, the daily says quoting experts.

- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appears to have alleviatee Russian concerns over U.S. intentions about anti-missile sytems in Europe, the daily says, commenting on her visit.