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Media: Russian agent Butina was ready to testify in Paul Erickson’s case
Maria Butina, a Russian woman detained in the US, was ready to cooperate with the investigation and give testimony about her partner Paul Erikson, even before she was taken into custody, BBC reported wth reference to a statement made by her lawyer Robert Driscoll in court.
The court refused to release Butina on bail, she remains in custody.
Butina’s roommate appears in court documents as “American #1,” but the media discovered that this refers to well-known political technologist Paul …
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Russian athletes banned from competitions due to doping
The governing body of international athletics, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has maintained the ban on Russian athletes in connection with doping violations. Some Russian athletes are still allowed to compete as neutrals.
This decision was announced 10 days before the start of the European Championships in Berlin.
"The IAAF Council unanimously adopted the resolution that the Russian Athletics Federation not be reinstated at this time," announced Rune Andersen, …
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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 …
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Putin calls for alternative to US dollar
The dollar’s status as the universal reserve currency “is becoming a problem” for the world economy, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference after the BRICS summit in South Africa.
According to him, the Kremlin “is well aware of what the dollar represents today”. “It is the universal reserve currency. To a greater or lesser degree the euro could aspire to this, but not entirely,” Putin observed.
The status of the dollar, for which there is no full-fledged substitute, is a …
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Russian hackers attack German media
According to Deutsche Welle, German media companies ZDF and WDR were recently attacked by Russian hackers. The hacker group Sandworm attacked the IT networks of both media companies in early June, AFP reported on Friday, July 27, with reference to excerpts from Der Spiegel’s as-yet unpublished material.
According to AFP, its sources in security agencies said that ZDF confirmed that a hacker attack actually took place while WDR refused to comment due to safety issues. ZDF clarified that less …