Pravda

Journalist Ivan Golunov released, charges against him dropped
The Ministry for Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation has decided to terminate the prosecution of journalist Ivan Golunov as it has been impossible to establish his guilt, the head of the ministry, Vladimir Kolokoltsev said. The charges against Golunov have been dropped, he will be released from house arrest on June 11, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs added.The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation will assess the legality of actions that law-enforcement officers took within the scope of Ivan Golunov's case. The officers, who took part in his arrest, have been temporarily dismissed from duty for the time of the investigation. Vladimir Kolokoltsev, the Minister for Internal Affairs of Russia, will ask President Vladimir Putin to dismissal the head of the anti-drug trafficking department of the State Ministry of Internal Affairs for the city of Moscow, Yury Devyatkin, as well as the head of the Department of Internal Affairs for Moscow, Andrei Puchkov.
(Tue, 11 Jun 2019 17:45:00 +0300)

USA becomes one of the largest investors in Russian economy, study says
The United States has taken center stage in terms of the number of investment projects in Russia for the first time since 2013, a report conducted by EY audit and consulting network said. The annual study titled "Investment Attractiveness of European countries for 2018," in particular says that foreign investors invested in 211 projects in Russia. This is eleven percent less than was reported in the previous year, when there were 238 foreign investors. According to EY, this fact corresponds to the general European trend, where a four-percent decrease in investment activity was reported. At the same time, the number of investment projects from the United States increased from 19 to 33 percent, having gained 74 percent. Germany comes second with 24 projects (investment fell by 14 percent), while China comes third. The number of Chinese investment projects in Russia fell from 32 to 19 percent.According to EY, Russia is ranked ninth in the top ten of most attractive European countries to foreign investors due to low inflation and continuing economic growth. According to the Russian Statistics Agency, the Russian economy grew by 2.3 percent in 2018. The EY report says that the stabilization of prices has made long-term planning possible.At the same time, the EY report contradicts to the official statistics of direct investments from the Central Bank. According to the Central Bank of the Russian federation, the balance of foreign investments in the Russian economy as of January 1, 2019 shows Cyprus on the first place, Luxembourg on the second and the Bahamas on the third place. The USA takes the 18th place on the list, while China is ranked 22nd. Most likely, the EY statistics is more representative, since the data of the Russian Central Bank include investments that investors of Russian origin make through offshore companies. At the same time, statistics of the Central Bank excludes investments made by the "daughters" of foreign companies in Russia (most American and Chinese investments in Russia relate to this type of investment).
(Thu, 06 Jun 2019 16:08:00 +0300)

Putin will have 76 Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets before 2028
Yuri Slyusar, President of the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UAC), said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) that Russian companies would be able to produce 76 Su-57 fighter jets before 2028. "We have prepared production facilities for this. The factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur is one of technologically advanced enterprises at this point, with highly qualified personnel, so we will accomplish this goal for the president," said Slyusar.In May of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to purchase 76 Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighters and finish all the works before 2028. Putin said that the new airplanes would need to replace the air fleet of three aviation regiments. Originally, it was planned to buy only 16 aircraft, but the manufacturer later announced a price reduction of 20 percent.According to various estimates, the contract is evaluated at 170 billion rubles. This will be the largest order in the history of domestic aviation.
(Thu, 06 Jun 2019 15:27:00 +0300)

John Kerry offered to hold another referendum on Crimea, FM Lavrov says
John Kerry, who served as US Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017, had proposed another referendum on Crimea's reunification with Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with RBC."I am not going to reveal a big secret here, but former US Secretary of State John Kerry told me about that in April 2014. He told me that he could well understand the result of the vote. "Everything is clear. Everything happened as the Crimean people wanted. But for order, hold another referendum," Sergei Lavrov said recalling what John Kerry had told him. "I hope John does not take offense at me. He too has published a few secrets of our conversations with him in his memoirs," said Lavrov.After the coup in Ukraine in February 2014, the authorities of the Crimea and the city of Sevastopol held a referendum about the issue of reunification with Russia. More than 80 percent of voters took part in the referendum and more than 97 percent of them voted for reunification with Russia. On March 18, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement to incorporate the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol into the Russian Federation. The Federal Assembly ratified the document on March 21. Despite the convincing results of the referendum, Ukraine refused to recognize the Crimea as part of Russia.
(Thu, 06 Jun 2019 12:10:00 +0300)

Putin's ratings fall to all-time low, and the Kremlin knows why
Russia's trust in President Vladimir Putin has declined again. Russia's Public Opinion Research Centre (WCIOM) said that Putin's ratings have fallen to an all-time low. At the same time, however, sociologists speak about a strange paradox at this point. In the week from May 20 to May 26, Vladimir Putin's rating made up 30.5 percent. This is a new low since 2006.It is worth noting that sociologists conducted open polls, in which respondents were offered to name politicians whom they trust, and there were no options given to choose from. At the same time, in the case of closed polls, when interviewers specifically ask "Do you trust Putin?" the situation is completely different. In closed polls, Putin's rating is much higher and amounts to 72.3 percent.Researchers at the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) asked the specific question to people last week and received positive answers "I certainly trust" and "I rather trust" from 62 percent of respondents.The Kremlin earlier demanded an explanation from WCIOM sociologists in an attempt to realise what caused the fall of confidence in the president against the background of the growth of his electoral approval rating. According to the FOM, the approval rating has grown by five percent since March and amounted to 50 percent.Experts believe that the difference in the polls can be explained with overall negative sentiments in the country. When answering open questions, like, for example, "Which politicians do you trust?" people often find themselves at a loss or prefer to say "I do not know."Experts say that it would be better to include other politicians in closed polls and invite respondents to express their opinions on whether they trust Grudinin, Navalny, Shoigu and others. Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, answering a question about the results of the new studies, said that the president could have only one rating - this is the rating of how people evaluate the president's work. "If you look at the numbers, it turns out that you can approve, but not trust, or you can trust but not approve," he said.
(Fri, 31 May 2019 16:15:00 +0300)

Russia to modernize Doomsday aircraft
Representatives of the Russian Defence Ministry reported about the imminent modernization of aerial command posts known as "Doomsday aircraft." According to Deputy Defense Minister of Russia, Alexei Krivoruchko, the development work on the modernization of the aircraft that carry air command posts on board - the Ilyushin IL-80 and IL-82 - had been completed. Today, it goes about the work to enhance the electronic equipment of the aircraft to command troops under conditions of nuclear war. There are two second-generation air command post aircraft in Russia: the Ilyushin IL-80, created on the basis of the passenger IL-86 airplane, and the Ilyushin IL-82 built on the basis of the transport airplane IL-76.At the end of 2016, Alexander Yakunin, director of Rostekh Instrument Making Corporation, spoke about the development of the third generation of Doomsday aircraft. He also said that the military-industrial complex delivered the first air control center of the second generation to the Defence Ministry - the Il-80M aircraft, capable of taking on board top commanders of the Russian armed forces, as well as officers of the General Staff and technical specialists.
(Thu, 30 May 2019 19:26:00 +0300)

Russia successfully gets rid of US dollar
Over the past five years, the Russian government has made certain progress in its struggle against the dependence of the Russian economy on the US dollar. The share of the US dollar in the structure of Russia's currency operations decreased from 79.6 to 67.3 percent from 2013 to 2018, a recent report conducted by audit and consulting company FinExpertiza said. As an alternative to the American currency, Russia started using the euro more frequently. The share of the euro rose from 9.1 percent in 2013 to 17.3 percent in 2018. The increase in the share of the euro was made possible largely due to Russian trading partners, especially China, which sharply increased the share of euro payments for Russian goods. For example, the share of payments in euros amounted to only 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2018, but by the end of the year it had grown to 13.5 percent.The decline in the share of the US dollar in the Russian economy is taking place against the backdrop of the growing significance of the Russian ruble. The ruble share increased from 10.2 to 13.6 percent over the indicated period. The significant growth became possible owing to Russia's trade partners such as India (from 1.1 to 37.2 percent) and Belarus (from 53.4 to 78.2 percent). The Russian ruble has become the main currency in Russia's exports to the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States during the recent five years, the report said. After the introduction of US sanctions in 2014, Russia started pursuing a policy to reduce the dependence on the dollar in international payments. European authorities currently consider a similar opportunity, as Europe also remains unhappy about the domination of the US dollar in international payments.
(Wed, 15 May 2019 16:07:00 +0300)

Russia to ban plastic tableware
The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation is preparing a bill to ban the sale of disposable plastic tableware, Dmitry Kobylkin, the head of the ministry said. "The Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, together with other countries, advocates the struggle against the pollution. We support the global trend to reduce the use of plastic, and I am certain that we are going in this direction. Many large retail chains already support us in this, and we are preparing for this restriction, but it takes time to analyse everything," the minister said. It became known earlier that the European Union would outlaw the sale of disposable plastic tableware by 2021.In March, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia would some day consider banning this type of cookware.In December last year, the All-Russian Popular Front proposed introducing restrictions on the production and import of disposable plastic goods by categorising them as a separate group of goods with an increased environmental collection rate.
(Tue, 07 May 2019 16:05:00 +0300)

Russia deploys electronic warfare systems in Kaliningrad to control Europe
Russia is deploying a complex of electronic warfare Murmansk-BN in the Kaliningrad enclave. According to the General Staff of the Russian Navy, the system entered service at the Baltic Fleet at the end of 2018, where it was subsequently put to test during naval exercises.Military experts believe that the performance of the Murmansk-BN system will make it possible to jam radio signals on a large area. The system may disrupt the normal communication between warships, aircraft and ground military units in Eastern and Central Europe, as well as in the Baltic region. First of all, it goes about the Scandinavian region and the waters of the Baltic Sea and the northwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean.The automated complex of radio interference Murmansk-BN operates on lines of military communications in the shortwave range. The range of radio signal suppression from warships, airplanes, drones and infrastructure objects of a potential enemy reaches eight thousand kilometres. The transportable version of the Murmansk-BN system can be moved from one location to another with the help of seven KamAZ multi-axle vehicles. It includes telescopic antenna masts (up to 32 meters high) and low-frequency antennas.
(Mon, 29 Apr 2019 19:07:00 +0300)

Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin find common language in Vladivostok
The talks between the leaders of Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea, as it is commonly referred to, were held on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University on Russky Island. At first, Putin and Kim talked in private for about two hours. The North Korean leader said that the exchange of opinions was very informative. Delegation officials joined Putin and Kim later. The summit lasted for about three and a half hours. As Putin told reporters later, the parties discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and talked about further steps for its improvement. Putin said that the crisis on the Korean Peninsula should be resolved on the basis of all regulations of international law. Putin called Kim Jong-un an interesting person to talk to, an open individual, who conducts a free discussion on all issues of the agenda. Speaking at a reception in honor of the North Korean guest, Putin stressed that there was no alternative to a peaceful solution of the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula. At the same time, Russia is ready to continue cooperation to reduce tensions on the peninsula and strengthen security in Northeast Asia on the whole, Putin said. Kim Jong-un proposed a toast "for the development, strengthening and prosperity of the great Russian Federation and for the good health of President Putin, for happiness and wonderful future of the two countries, for the health of all comrades and friends present here." The DPRK leader also expressed gratitude for the invitation to come to Russia and for the warm welcome."On behalf of the Korean people, I send warm greetings to the Russian people, who selflessly work to build the strong and prosperous Russia," said the DPRK leader, assuring that he would like to continue maintaining friendship between the two countries and promote further development of relations.After the talks, Kim Jong-un presented Vladimir Putin with a Korean sword, which, as he said, personifies the power and the soul of his own self and the Korean people, who support Putin. Putin thanked Kim for the gift, but noted that in Russia, according to a popular belief, gifting weapons is considered to be not a very good sign. Putin took a coin and handed it to Kim Jong-un to symbolically "buy" the sword from him.This is Kim Jong-un's first visit to Russia. It is also his first foreign trip since his re-election as chairman of the DPRK State Council. After the summit, the head of North Korea will have a cultural program. He will stay in Vladivostok until the evening of April 26, while Putin will travel to China to participate in One Belt - One Road Forum.
(Thu, 25 Apr 2019 15:39:00 +0300)

Kim Jong-un's dream comes true as his armoured train arrives in Russia
The armored train with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived at the railway station in Vladivostok at around 11 o'clock in the morning of April 24. Upon his arrival, Kim Jong-un got into a limousine with tinted windows and left the station accompanied by security guards. This is the first time for Kim Jong-un to visit Russia. Kim has been leading the Democratic People's Republic of Korea since 2011. Earlier on Wednesday, he crossed the border between Russia and the DPRK at the border station of Khasan, where he was welcomed by Far East governor Oleg Kozhemyako and several ministers. During the welcoming ceremony, Kim Jong-un was offered to try the traditional Russian bread known as karavai. On April 25, Kim Jong-un is going to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As it is expected, the talks will be held on the territory of the Far Eastern Federal University on Russky Island.DPRK leader Kim Jong-un said that he had long wanted to visit Russia."I've heard a lot of good things about your country and dreamed of visiting it for a long time. It's been seven years since I headed the country, but I could come to visit Russia only now," he said. The North Korean leader added that his father Kim Jong Il had also had very warm feelings towards Russia. On April 25, Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin will hold a tete-a-tete meeting, a meeting in a narrow circle and as part of delegations. They will also take part in an official reception.
(Wed, 24 Apr 2019 16:41:00 +0300)

Russia bans exports of oil, coal and petroleum products to Ukraine
Three days before the second stage of the presidential election in Ukraine, Russia has banned exports of oil, coal and petroleum products to Ukraine. One will need to obtain special permits to export oil, coal and petroleum products from Russia to Ukraine. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced an expansion of the list of sanctions against Ukraine. The list of Ukrainian goods, the imports of which to Russia is not allowed, has been expanded as well. Russia is expanding the ban on the import of certain types of Ukrainian goods. The decision will affect Ukrainian engineering products, light industry, metalworking, the cost of which amounted to almost $250 million last year. The introduction of the new sanctions come in return to Kiev's unfriendly actions in relation to Russia, Medvedev said. On April 10, the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers expanded the list of goods, the imports of which from Russia to Ukraine has been restricted. The list of the goods includes, in particular, glass containers, formalin, equipment for railway automation devices, and other products.Russia has imposed new sanctions on Ukraine three days before the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine, which is scheduled for April 21. The first round took place on March 31. None of 39 candidates could collect more than 50% of the votes with two leaders of the race thus entering the second round - actor and entertainer Vladimir Zelensky (30.24% of the votes) and sitting president of the country, Petro Poroshenko (15.95%).At the end of last year, the government of Ukraine extended restrictions on importing a range of Russian goods until December 31, 2019. It goes about dairy products, tea, coffee, beer, alcohol, personal care products, shampoos, shower gels, soap, railway equipment, chemical products for agriculture and so on.On December 29, the Russian government expanded the list of goods, the imports of which from Ukraine to Russia was prohibited: beer, wine, chocolate, sunflower oil, seeders, crushed stone, cardboard, etc. Russia's food embargo affected Ukraine in the beginning of 2016, when imports of Ukrainian pork, vegetables, cheeses, fruits, dairy products and a number of other food products were banned.
(Thu, 18 Apr 2019 13:30:00 +0300)

Putin sends telegram to Macron after Notre Dame fire: Russia ready to help
The leaders of many countries and organizations expressed their condolences to French people and President of France Emmanuel Macron in connection with the massive fire that engulfed probably one of the most renowned buildings in the world - the medieval Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris. US President Donald Trump was one of the first to have reacted to the disaster in the French capital. Emmanuel Macron received messages of support from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Teresa May, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, from the Vatican and many other officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Macron only the day after the fire, on April 16, as the Kremlin press service said. "Notre Dame de Paris is a historical symbol of France, an invaluable treasure of European and world culture, one of the most important Christian shrines. The tragedy that occurred this night in Paris has echoed with pain in the hearts of Russian people," Putin wrote in the telegram to Macron. Putin expressed a hope that the cathedral would be restored. He suggested sending best Russian specialists to France who have extensive experience in restoring monuments of world cultural heritage, including works of medieval architecture.Earlier, Director of the Department of Museums of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Vladislav Kononov, said that Russia could arrange a campaign to collect donations to reconstruct the legendary French cathedral.
(Tue, 16 Apr 2019 19:03:00 +0300)

Russia and NATO terminate cooperation in military and civil areas completely
Russia and NATO have put an end to cooperation in both civil and military areas, Alexander Grushko, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation said."NATO has abandoned positive agenda in relations with Russia. It does not exist. So far there are no indications of NATO's knowledge of a way to get out of this impasse," the official said. Grushko said that the decision of the alliance to terminate normal working contacts in the military area was absurd, because security in Europe largely depends on relations between Russia and NATO. The alliance has gone too far in exacerbating confrontation with Russia, he said. "It's a paradox, but today's Russia-NATO relations are very reminiscent of the "common" state of affairs, for which NATO was created - for the cold war. They have wiped the dust again from the Harmel Report: dialogue and deterrence. In this formula, however, there is a lot of deterrence and little dialogue now," Alexander Grushko said. He noted that NATO's total military expenditure over the past year exceeded a trillion dollars, which is 22 times as much as the amount of Russia's defense spending. However, Moscow is not going to take part in the race to build up military budgets with NATO, but rather puts emphasis on "economical, precise and effective means."With regard to the armed conflict with NATO, Grushko hopes that it will not happen. "It would be a disaster for all of humanity. I am sure that this is understood in both Washington and Brussels," he said. According to Grushko, it could be possible to upgrade NATO by building a true strategic partnership with Russia."An attempt like this was made at the Russia-NATO summit in Lisbon in 2010. In reality, however, NATO members would have to sacrifice their "exceptionalism", discover the art of compromise, work on an equal footing, and pay first priority to group, rather than common interests. It did not happen," the diplomat concluded. Also read: NATO to strike Russia through Suwalki Corridor
(Mon, 15 Apr 2019 15:41:00 +0300)

Russia does not support Libyan National Army General Haftar
Russia does not support the commander of the Libyan National Army, Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who earlier announced an offensive on the Libyan capital city of Tripoli. According to Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin's official spokesman, the Russian administration is watching the development in Libya very closely. It is vitally important to avoid bloodshed in the country and regulate the crisis diplomatically, he added. On April 4, Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army, announced the beginning of an offensive on Tripoli. Later it became known that the general had occupied the first city on the way to Tripoli - Garyan. The general calls his actions an operation to liberate Tripoli. The offensive led to a sharp escalation of the struggle for power, which started in Libya after the murder of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Gaddafi had been ruling the country since 1969.Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Saraj announced the mobilization of government forces to prevent the advancement of Haftar's army.
(Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:23:00 +0300)

Russian nuclear missiles to have all European countries in their crosshairs
Russia will be forced to deploy its missiles to cover the entire territory of Europe if US missiles are deployed on the European continent, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said.Antonov explained that the Kremlin was concerned about the possibility for US missiles to appear in Europe after USA's pullout from the INF Treaty. In this case, "we will be forced to deploy our missiles, and the whole territory of Europe will be covered," the ambassador said. He also reminded that the missile treaty does not affect USA's security, and it is only European countries that suffer as a result of the suspension of the treaty. Russian President Putin signed the decree to suspend the INF Treaty on March 4, 2019. Earlier, during a message to the Federal Assembly, the Russian president stated that Moscow would be forced to give "mirror and asymmetric" response to a possible move of the United States to deploy its missiles in Europe. The head of the Russian government, Dmitry Medvedev, said in an interview with the Luxemburger Wort publication that Russia does not intend to fight with anyone, and is primarily interested in stability and peace in the world. The journalist noted, however, that it was difficult to imagine Russia as a stronghold of peace given recent developments and achievements in the field of defense. Medvedev responded that Moscow views its nuclear arsenal solely as a deterrent. He also said that it was the United States that pulled out from the INF Treaty first, having thus forced Moscow to react. On March 5-6, Medvedev is holding talks with Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel regarding issues of trade and economic cooperation.
(Tue, 05 Mar 2019 16:30:00 +0300)

Kremlin scoffs at USA's attempts to dig for information about Putin's property
US congressmen want US intelligence services to provide data about income and property of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Elise Stefanik, a member of the House of Representatives, and her colleague Val Demings prepared a draft law entitled "The Vladimir Putin Transparency Act." According to the initiative, US intelligence services should collect data and provide a report on the financial status of the President of the Russian Federation and his supporters.The bill was drafted in connection with allegations of Russia's attempts to undermine American democracy.Stefanik said that Putin and his political allies strive to weaken democracies around the world by strengthening political control through unethical actions.Official spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, stated that the intentions of US lawmakers to disclose data on Vladimir Putin's earnings and property were "Russophobic labor." He expressed his surprise at the amount of activities that US lawmakers have been conducting recently regarding issues related to Russia, the Russian president and other Russian officials, rather than concentrating on domestic problems that the US is facing.
(Thu, 28 Feb 2019 17:08:00 +0300)

Targets for Russia's Zircon missiles in USA remain unclear
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not specify where exactly the Zircon hypersonic missiles are going to be targeted in the event medium-range and shorter-range missiles are deployed near Russian borders. Putin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted to reporters that Putin did not mention any geographical location of possible targets in his recent Address to the Federal Assembly. Peskov's comment came in response to recent reports about Russia's intention to target its Zircon missiles at five military centers in the United States. In case of threat from Washington, Moscow would aim its missiles at three centers on the East Coast: the Pentagon building in Washington, and two government control centers in Camp-David and in Fort Ritchie in Maryland.
(Mon, 25 Feb 2019 17:07:00 +0300)

Putin informed about arrest of US investor Michael Calvey
The Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested Michael Calvey, the founder of Baring Vostok investment fund, on allegations of embezzling 2.5 billion rubles from Vostochny Bank. According to the court order, Calvey will be held in custody until April 13.He is going to be charged within ten days or else he will have to be released. The court found that the founder of the investment fund has significant resources at his disposal to be able to either escape or put pressure on witnesses. The court also took into account his American citizenship, as well as the availability of his significant financial resources and connections.Lawyers asked the court to either send the suspect under house arrest at the place of residence in Moscow or release him on bail of 5 million rubles. The defense will appeal the court decision and insist on a measure of restraint other than detention. In addition to Calvey, five other persons involved in the case were arrested for two months, including French citizen Phillipe Delpal - a partner of Baring Vostok investment fund.All of them were arrested on February 15, but the court could not elect a measure of restriction at once. The court eventually decided to postpone the meeting for 72 hours to collect additional evidence.German Gref, the chief of Russia's largest state-run bank, Sberbank, business ombudsman Boris Titov, general director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev and chairman of the Russian Council of Private Equity Funds Anatoly Chubais spoke in defense of the entrepreneur. President Vladimir Putin was informed about Michael Calvey's arrest accordingly. Michael Calvey may face charges under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - "Fraud committed by an organized group on a large scale". Member of the board of directors and shareholder of Vostochny Bank, Sherzod Yusupov, and the bank itself appear as the affected party on the case. According to the statement filed by Vostochny Bank shareholder Sherzod Yusupov, the First Collection Bureau company controlled by Calvey owed about 2.5 billion rubles to Vostochny Bank. Calvey and the five arrested top managers decided to settle the debt on unfavorable conditions for the bank, investigators believe. Calvey does not admit his guilt and claims that the case against him was based on a corporate conflict with Sherzod Yusupov.
(Tue, 19 Feb 2019 13:45:00 +0300)

New 'bill from hell' against Russia to bring hell to USA
The Kremlin believes that new possible sanctions against Russia may lead to disastrous consequences, as Washington's actions will come contrary to the generally accepted rules of international trade. According to Putin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov, "one always needs to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst at the same time. "As for the sentiments both in the US Congress and in the Senate, one does not have to hope for the disease of Russophobia to fade away," he said. On February 13, 2019, a group of Russophobic US senators submitted a bill that provides for additional sanctions against Russia for the alleged Russian interference in the work of democratic institutions abroad. The bill includes sanctions against Russian banks that support Russia's attempts to undermine democratic institutions in other countries, sanctions against investments in Russian liquefied natural gas projects outside Russia, sanctions against politicians, oligarchs and members of their families who contribute to illegal or corrupt acts in the interests of Vladimir Putin, as well as sanctions against the Russian government debt and the cyber sector. Also read:
(Thu, 14 Feb 2019 17:32:00 +0300)