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Russia is in the top 5 of the world's largest shadow economies
According to a report by the International Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Russia is in the top five countries with the largest shadow economies. There are 28 countries included in the rating.
Russia has the highest a shadow economy index, almost 84% higher than the world average. The volume of its shadow economy is estimated at 33.6 trillion rubles, or 39% of the country's GDP. According to the experts, the situation is worse only in Ukraine (46% of GDP), Nigeria (48% …
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Russian Gazprom supplied 5.6 billion cubic meters of gas to separatists in eastern Ukraine
The Russian gas company, Gazprom, has supplied 5.6 billion cubic meters of gas to the separatist-held territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since January 2015, as reported by the head of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, RBC news agency reports.
Gazprom began supplying gas to the uncontrolled territory of Ukraine at the request of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in February 2015. Gas is supplied through the Platovo and Prokhorovka gas measuring stations. The Russian government claimed …
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Russia has extended retaliatory sanctions against the EU till the end of 2018
Russia extended counter-sanctions against Western countries for another year, until December 31, 2018, as stated in an order issued by President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Decree, the government was instructed to ensure measures to implement the Decree, and, if necessary, to make amendments with regard to the duration of the sanctions.
The document comes into force as of the date of its signing.
On June 28th, the European Union extended anti-Russian sanctions until January 31, 2018. …
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Jehovah's Witness follower in the Crimea dies after his trial
67-year-old Dzhanskoy resident Vitaly Arsenyuk, who was charged with illegal missionary activity, died of a heart attack after a local court hearing conducted by peace commissioner Alkhaz Tulpar against him.
The trial took place on June 27; Vitaly Arsenyuk died the same night, reports Krym.Realii.
The man was charged with the crime under part 4 of Article 5.26 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Russia (carrying out missionary activity in violation of the requirements of the law). …
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Russia suspends payment of contribution to the Council of Europe
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a telephone conversation with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland, in which Lavrov told him about the Russian Federation's decision to suspend its contribution payment to the CE budget for 2017, as reported on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website.
"The Minister has informed the Secretary General of the Council of Europe of its decision to suspend payment of the contribution of the Russian Federation to the budget of the …
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Ukraine arrests two Russian border guards who entered its territory
The court in the Kherson region has arrested two people whom the Ukrainian Border Guard Service has called "lost Russian border guards", Interfax-Ukraine reported.
The representative of the State Border Service of Ukraine, Oleg Slobodyan, said that the court ruled to arrest them for 15 days.
Ukrainian border guards, with the assistance of Ukrainian army servicemen, detained two people on the night of June 30. According to the State Border Service of Ukraine, at 2:30 they moored by boat to the …
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Ukraine warned of the environmental disaster in the Donbas
Due to the flooding of mines and rising water levels in the Donbas, the level of radiation will increase, making it necessary to gradually resettle people from the region, as stated by the Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, George Tuka, on Channel 5."It's not about saving the Donbas at all. We can forget about it. We are talking about the gradual resettlement of the people from the region, because people will not be able to live there for 10 …
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Mother of Russian soldier captured in Donbas asks for help in freeing her son
The mother of 22 year-old Russian Viktor Ageyev, who was captured in the vicinity of Ukrainian Luhansk, has asked for help in the release of her son, Radio Svoboda reported on June 29.
Svetlana Ageyeva’s appeal was sent to Alexander Goncharenko, chair of the Altaic division of the “Yabloko” party, who forwarded it to party leader Boris Vishnevsky at the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersberg.
Vinshevsky reportedly sent a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu with a request to …
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Russian Ambassador to leave Washington at the end of July
The Russian ambassador in the USA, Sergey Kislyak, may leave Washington at the end of July. In recent months, the diplomat has been linked to a series of scandals about possible ties between members of Donald Trump’s campaign team and the Kremlin.
On Thursday, the Director of the Institute for US and Canada Studies, Sergey Rogov, spoke about the plans of the Russian ambassador.
“He will return to Moscow in late July,” Rogov said, speaking at the Primakov Readings international forum in Moscow. …
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NATO Secretary General: Ukraine promised to support the NATO mission in Afghanistan
NATO will retain its military presence in Afghanistan after 2017 and strengthen it, as stated by the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Jens Stoltenberg, on Thursday, following a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers on Afghanistan.
"We will continue our mission of 'Resolute support' after 2017. Today I can confirm that we will also strengthen our presence," he said, noting that 15 NATO countries committed themselves to increasing their contribution to the mission in Afghanistan. "We …