Contents tagged with Dmitry Medvedev

  • Experts: new US sanctions will cause 10% of investors to withdraw from Russian government bonds

    New US sanctions that may be imposed on the Russian national debt may lead to an outflow of 8-10% of investors from Russian sovereign debt bonds, according to the results of a study conducted by the Analytical Credit Rating Agency (ACRA), reported TASS.

    Analysts believe that the introduction of new sanctions for the purchase of the Russian national debt will significantly reduce the investor base, which will lead to a strong increase in the cost of borrowing for the Russian government.

    " …

  • Russian Prime Minister orders Ministry of Natural Resources to ensure water supply to annexed Crimea

    Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Minprirody) to form a working group responsible for ensuring water supply for the Crimea, according to a statement published on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Russia. 

    "To form and approve an interdepartmental working group responsible for the water supply of the Crimean peninsula and other regions affected by water shortages… Within the framework of this working group, to develop and …

  • Putin visits annexed Crimea

    President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin arrived in Crimea Saturday, August 4th, where he visited the evening-opening of the festival “Opera in Chersonese.” It will take place on the territory of the museum-reserve “Chersonese Tavrichensky” in Sevastopol on August 10-12, reported the press service of the Russian president.

    Putin watched the ballet, and then, with Metropolitan Tikhon visited the Vladimirsky cathedral, where “restoration work continues.”

    Together with Putin, Russian …

  • Czech deputies visit annexed Crimea despite Ukraine’s ban

    The Embassy of Ukraine in the Czech Republic protested the visit of the European Parliament Member Jaromir Kohlicek and Senator Jaroslav Doubrava to the Crimean territory annexed by Russia.

    "We are talking about yet another reoccurring violation of the Ukrainian legislation by the mentioned politicians, who, despite repeated warnings, continue to ignore not only Ukrainian laws but also the international law," said the embassy’s statement.

    The statement notes that most of the Czech politicians, …

  • Russia approves VAT increase to 20%

    At a plenary meeting on Saturday, July 28, Russia’s Federation Council approved a bill providing for an increase in the value-added tax (VAT) from 18% to 20%, in addition to new social security tax rates.

    The government of Dmitry Medvedev has claimed that the increase in the VAT will add 620 billion rubles to the federal budget each year.

    At the same time, certain VAT benefits will remain. There is discussion of lowering the VAT rates to 10% for social goods: food items (with the exception …

  • Russian Prime Minister Medvedev orders confiscation of Chechen assets to service debt

    Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gave a radical order on Monday to deal with the North Caucasian republics’ gas and electricity debt problem.

    At the conclusion of the session of the government commission for the social and economic development of the North Caucasian Federal District, Medvedev gave the order to confiscate energy assets in Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia in favour of state corporations.

    Companies and networks are to be transferred to …

  • Kremlin to reimburse foreigners for visiting Russia

    Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has instructed the federal bodies of executive government to work on the matter of compensating part of the cost of tours for foreign tourists visiting Russia.

    This was reported by Interfax on Friday with reference to materials drafted during the session of the Presidential Council for Strategic Development and Priority Projects.

    “The federal bodies of executive government must continue to work on an incentive for the incoming tourist flow from target …

  • Mededev suggests a possible Syria without Assad

    Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated that the power in Syria should be changed politically and, as a result, Bashar al-Assad can resign. However, as the prime minister noted, Assad is now “the only legally functioning authority in Syria.”

    “[Bashar al Assad] can be treated differently. Some like him, some don’t. That’s not a question. The question is that now he is the only legally functioning authority in Syria, the legitimate president,” Medvedev stated in an interview with the …

  • Medvedev: Relations between Russia and the U.S. have hit rock bottom

    In an interview with the Israeli television station Channel 2, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated that relations between Russia and the United States have “hit rock bottom” because of Washington.

    “Unfortunately, because of what happened in Ukraine due to efforts of Obama’s administration, these relations [between Russia and the United States] have hit the bottom. They’ve become very low,” the Russian prime minister stated.

    According to Medvedev, relations between Russia and the …

  • Russia’s natural resource hegemony continues to decline

    With the lifting of sanctions against Iran and Tehran’s consequent participation in the global oil market, the price for Russia’s main export commodity—energy sources—continues to decline with no end in sight. With the fourth largest reserves in the world, Iran put its oil on the global market on Monday, contributing to oil prices dropping below $28 per barrel.

    What is more, the recent events in the Russian gas supply market exacerbate the situation, as traditional markets for Russian natural …