The Economic News Agency prepared a rating of Russia’s best lobbyists in April 2011 for Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

BOD Chairman of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) Viktor Rashnikov was given the 21st position in the First People Lobbyists category (Strong Efficiency subgroup), which means he retained the position he got in the previous rating. This is actually one of the best results among the VIPs of Russia’s ferrous metallurgy business.

The research, which Nezavisimaya Gazeta carries on a monthly basis, determines just how effective the performance of private and state organizations’ representatives and deputies is in terms of lobbying projects that reflect the interests of certain structures, industries, regions, or social strata. What ‘lobbying’ means in this case is the activity aimed at protecting one’s active interests through the so-called civilized lobbying, with no bribes to deputies of state officials involved.

The methodology of creating the rating has remained the same: a few scores of experts rate about 240 contestants (businesspeople, politicians, and government officials whose jobs have to do with lobbying) on a scale of one to five.