Contents tagged with Russia
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New Ukrainian embargo on Russian goods to come into force in February
An extended embargo on newly listed banned goods from Russia will take effect in early February as stated in the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers decision № 28 from 20 January. Added to the extended list of banned goods approved on December 30th 2015 were onions, green tea, prepared or preserved fish, white chocolate, pellets, candies containing alcohol, chewing gum, marmalade and jelly, corn flakes, biscuits and crisp breads, soya and tomato sauce (ketchup).It is worth noting that the list of …
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Lavrov, Kerry discuss Syrian peace talks
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have spoken over the phone about the upcoming UN-sponsored Syrian peace talks in Geneva. The talks will be the largest effort yet to find a peaceful solution to the Syrian Civil War that has raged for almost 5 years.
Kerry’s call to Lavrov comes three days after a face-to-face meeting between the two in Zurich, following which a joint statement was released saying "particular attention was given to the need to form a …
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Russian Justice Ministry defines ‘political activity’ to amend ‘Foreign Agent Law’
In 2012, the Russian State Duma adopted a law requiring all nongovernmental organizations engaged in political activity that receive funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” with the Ministry of Justice, a designation that severely hinders an NGO's ability to operate in the Russian Federation. While the law initially provided a vague definition of "political activity", the Ministry of Justice adopted a new amendment on Friday defining it as any work in the sphere of federal or …
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Sberbank: Russian Inflation will Exceed 8 Percent in 2016
The Russian bank Sberbank believes that Russia will see a recession and that inflation may exceed 8% this year, as reported by TASS, citing the head of the Center for Macroeconomic Research of Sberbank, Yulia Tsepliaeva. According to her, a decline in consumption and economic growth may also be expected.
“We expect an economic slowdown and an additional year of decline in consumption. Inflation is likely to be high. It is expected to exceed 8%,” Tsepliaeva said.
Tsepliaeva assesses the Bank’ …
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Leading Russian Bankers Hold Emergency Meeting to Discuss Ruble Devaluation
Bankers have asked the Central Bank of Russia to introduce a fixed preferential exchange rate for the Ruble; however, the regulator has refrained from doing so for now.The collapse of the Russian currency was the main reason for holding an emergency meeting of the representatives of the Russian Central Bank and leading bankers of the country on Thursday, January 21st. The importance of the meeting is evident as the Chairman of the Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina, cancelled her trip to the …
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Amnesty International Urges Moscow to Respond to Kadyrov's Statements
Threats made by the head of the Chechen Republic against opposition leaders, the media, and human rights activists have raised the concern of Amnesty International. The organization notes that it's dangerous to do human rights work and openly criticize the government in Russia.
International human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) has urged the Russian authorities to "immediately and unhesitatingly" respond to the harsh statements of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, which …
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Ukrainian Intelligence: Russia Continues to Supply Arms to Separatists
Officers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are providing training for militants in Torez according to the Intelligence Agency.
"On a training ground near Torez, they are training tank and mechanized infantry units. There are assault troops practicing offensive maneuvers under the leadership of senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation who have recently arrived in Torez," the statement said.
In addition, Russia continues to supply pro-Russian separatists in the …
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Ukraine Expands List of Banned Russian Goods
The Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk indicated that the government has approved the expansion of the list of Russian goods that are subject to sanctions, as reported by LigaBusinessInform.
"Today, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has decided to expand the list of goods that are prohibited from being imported from the Russian Federation. It's an addition that consists of more than seventy items. This is a countermeasure to the economic aggression of the Russian Federation, and we …
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Tests Show Irregular Levels Of Metal in Kara-Murza's Body
Test results on prominent journalist Vladimir Kara Murza show irregular levels of heavy metals in his system. Kara-Murza mysteriously and famously fell ill in May 2015 due to unknown causes at the time. As his condition steadily worsened and and he received more medical attention, many began to speculate that he may have been poisoned—a standard tactic that has been employed on Russian activists before. His lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov, said that the medical test results have been submitted to the …
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Russian Duma Speaker Calls on EU to Impose Sanctions against Ukraine
The Speaker of the Russian State Duma, Sergey Naryshkin, invited the leading European countries to punish Kiev for their failure to comply with the Minsk Agreements, as reported by the Russian media on Tuesday, January 19th.
At the opening of the spring session of the State Duma, Naryshkin stated that "the position of France and Germany, presiding over the OSCE this year, will become completely constructive and objective. The advocates of extending anti-Russian sanctions will realize that …