How can this not make you take up shareholder activism? Vedomosti has some remarkable figures. Rosneft. Staff costs in Q2 came to 2.3 billion rubles (excluding benefits), 4.4 times higher than in Q1. The average monthly income of employees at the parent company, its branches, and representative offices was 498,612 rubles. Transneft. An average of up to 421,034 rubles a month for each of the 630 employees at the central office and representative offices. That is almost three times higher than in Q1 and than the average for 2008. And here is a fitting quote: "We are entitled to expect that the funds left in the industry will be invested in the production process, rather than spent on bonuses or other less obvious needs." Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, at a meeting in Kirishi (Leningrad Region), February 12, 2009. In the comments on the newspaper's website, someone quite rightly observes: Yes, in our country only the chosen few are rising from their knees.