New awards USA, Russia were left without Johnnie Walker and Finnish tires. The main news of the conference for the day
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is one of the worst economic crises in modern Russian history. The Russian service of the BBC talks about the main economic events of the day.
Sanctions against KAMAZ, Rostec and Tina Kandelaki
The US authorities have introduced a new sanctions packagewhich included 70 Russian companies and 29 people.
Of the large companies, Rostec and related structures were included in the list. US authorities call it “the cornerstone of the Russian defense, industrial, technology and manufacturing sectors” of the Russian economy.
Mistakes appear in the publication report: Rostec includes the main key factors of Russian production, for example, the KAMAZ automobile plant and the Tupolev aircraft company (through the United Aircraft Company, which also came under verdict on Tuesday).
Both KAMAZ and Tupolev were included in the sanctions lists – their assets in the United States will be frozen, but it seems that companies, banks and the public will be banned. KAMAZ CEO Sergey Kogogin is also on the list.
The inclusion of the Tupolev is explained by the US authorities: it is simply that its bombers are used for the war in Ukraine.
In addition, the United States banned the import of Russian gold – earlier, during the G7 summit, the country agreed with Great Britain, Canada and Japan.
The US authorities explain that the ban on oil and gas should hit the Russian economy.
The United States made an exception for gold, which was excluded from Russia according to the specified paragraph – it could be imported into Airmail.
Key persons have also been added to the sanctions lists, for example, ex-Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and his family, as well as his subordinate, ex-head of the apparatus of the Russian Ministry of Defense Evgenia Vasilyeva, whom the media called his “close friend”.
Serdyukov was dismissed in 2012 due to a budget embezzlement scandal in the department, and Vasilyeva was sentenced to a five-year colony, but was released just a few months later. The media wrote that Serdyukov and Vasilyeva got married.
Tina Kandelaki, TV presenter and deputy general director of Gazprom-Media, was on the list of American leaders. the hit was a hit on the list of her husband Vasily Brovko – director on behalf of Rostec.
Dmitry Khavchenko, a former fighter of the self-proclaimed DPR with the call sign “Seaman”, also got on the lists. He later fought in the Donbass, and discovered a “volunteer unit” of Donbass in the annexed Crimea.
In 2018, the Khavchenko family became the owner of the Russian-language crypto exchange Wex, the US government that laundered at least $4 billion through Wex.
Tire and alcohol production is leaving Russia
Today, several foreign companies announced at once that they were ceasing business in Russia.
French tire manufacturers Michelin and Finnish Nokian Tires are leaving the Russian market. About 80% of Nokian Tires’ passenger car tires were produced in Russia.
Michelin intends to transfer activities in Russia under local management by the end of the year, transferred to the company. This decision was made as the company is unable to resume production due to supply issues in Russia.
The British manufacturer of alcoholic beverages Diageo is also leaving Russia (among them Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker whiskey, Guinness beer, Baileys liqueur and Captain Morgan rum).
Extraction of Diageo products is made in 70 Russian stores and 19 thousand enterprises. The company hopes to curtail activity in six months by providing compensation payments.
Return goods of foreign brands to Russia through a new law legalizing alternative imports, that is, imports without the decision of the copyright holder. Today this law was signed by Vladimir Putin. It exempts companies engaged in “gray imports” from criminal and administrative liability.
According to Ozon, “Yandex.Market” and “Svyaznoy” stated that they would be engaged in export imports. According to Kommersant’s source, Yandex.Market has already received the first batch of foreign brands that left Russia (electronics and home appliances).
Deripaska does not believe that Friedman will drive a tank to Bryansk
Russian businessman Oleg Derpiska sees no limits to regime change in Russia. He stated this at an event at Moscow State University, and the video of his speech was published by RBC.
“The opposition preferred beautiful views of Europe and everything else, and life retreated from the country,” he said.
He went on to say that big big businessmen are often referred to as oligarchs. But, judging by his further advancement, he also does not see a continuation in them.
“Wait that Mikhail Maratovich Fridman, or the very same [Петр] Aven, or [Михаил] Khodorkovsky (recognized in Russia as a foreign agent – BBC) will take up arms and break through in tanks into this very Bryansk – also unlikely. Not those people. This is by no means a reproach,” Deripaska returned.
“I don’t see any economic preconditions for a change of regimes, no matter how it happens to anyone,” the businessman summed up.
At the same time, Deripaska called the emissions a “colossal mistake” and said that some politicians in the world “set the goal of overthrowing the Putin regime” – this policy, according to him, is to put pressure on gas by force. By all appearances, he was on the lookout for what would be trying to see the fall of the regime in Russia.
Deripaska was one of the first Russian businessmen to come under tough US sanctions back in 2018. Then he had to give up control over his assets – first of all, EN + and Rusal. After the decision was made to abruptly detain him.
Recently, Deripaska has been running a telegram channel in which an inspector of the Central Bank of Russia, American economists and politicians criticizes the coverage of videos of cherries and wheat, and from time to time makes quite peaceful statements.
“I understand that the party of war dominates the entire planet, and, naturally, this is not the time to enjoy the beauty of this world, but for me this cherry blossom is also a symbol of not only the arrival of spring, but also the possibility of starting something new on Earth,” he wrote in early April. In his posts, he urges to finish as soon as possible.
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