Consequences of the “special military operation” in Ukraine

The Bell continues to report online on the economic consequences of the “special military operation” in Ukraine that began on February 24

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Read the continuation online from May 11 here .

20:15 Vladimir Putin appointed acting heads of five regions:

• Yuri Zaitsev, still the chairman of the government of the Republic of Kalmykia, became the acting head of the Republic of Mari El;
• Acting Governor of the Kirov Region - Alexander Sokolov, assistant of the Kremlin department for ensuring the activities of the State Council;
• Acting Governor of the Ryazan Region - Pavel Malkov, head of Rosstat;
• Acting Governor of the Saratov Region - Roman Busargin, Chairman of the Regional Government, Vice-Governor;
• Acting Governor of the Tomsk Region - Vladimir Mazur, Deputy Head of the Kremlin Department for Domestic Policy.

19:26 The main candidate for the post of governor of the Ryazan region was the head of Rosstat, Pavel Malkov, RBC reports citing sources.

According to the publication , Alexander Sokolov, assistant of the Kremlin department for ensuring the activities of the State Council, can apply for the post of governor of the Kirov region.

Chairman of the regional government, Vice-Governor Roman Busargin, may be appointed acting head of the Saratov region, Vedomosti’s interlocutors said .

Today, the heads of several Russian regionsresigned early.

17:43 IKEA will continue to pay salaries to 15 thousand employees in Russia until August, and not until June, as previously planned. The owner of Ingka Group, the owner of furniture brand stores in Russia, Tolga Onku, said this in an interview with Reuters.

17:22 Belarus announced the deployment of “special operations forces units” on the border with Ukraine. This is a reaction to the build-up of the military presence of the United States and its allies on the border with Belarus, said the Chief of the General Staff of the Republic’s Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense of the country Viktor Gulevich:

“As part of the second stage of testing the immediate reaction forces, battalion tactical groups have been deployed to the western and northwestern operational directions. To strengthen them, units of air defense, missile forces and artillery are being deployed, which will ensure their combat functioning.

The group created by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the southern operational direction with a total number of up to 20 thousand people also requires a reaction from us. In order to ensure the security of the Republic of Belarus in the southern direction, the forces of special operations forces units are deployed in three tactical directions.”

In addition, according to him, as part of the check, territorial troops of the Kobrin and Lida regions are being formed in the Brest and Grodno regions, and about 430 people are planned to be called up from the reserves for military training.

16:30 The head of Mari El, Alexander Evstifeev, also resigned . In February, RBC, citing sources, reported that leaving the post was the politician’s personal decision; “he categorically does not want” to continue working as governor. The publication's sources called Evstifeev a person close to the first deputy head of the presidential administration, Sergei Kiriyenko.

According to RBC, the Kremlin considered the scenario of “giving” Mari El to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, which traditionally has a strong position in this region. As a result of the elections to the State Duma, the republic became one of four regions where the communists beat United Russia on the lists.

15:55 The third governor of the day announced his resignation - the head of the Saratov region Valery Radaev, who led the region for 10 years, is leaving his post early. He stated that he would not run for another term and would focus on another area of ​​work. Although he recently introduced an amendment to the regional Duma allowing him to be re-elected for a third term, it was approved by the working group in April.

The governor of the Ryazan region, Nikolai Lyubimov, also made a statement regarding the elections today. He announced that he would not run for another term.

14:57 Following the Tomsk governor, the head of the Kirov region, Igor Vasiliev, who had headed the region since 2016, resigned (he replaced Nikita Belykh, who was fired due to loss of trust). In his address, Vasiliev noted that he intends to continue working “at the federal level.” Before becoming governor of the Kirov region, he worked in the central executive committee of United Russia, was an auditor of the Accounts Chamber, and headed Rosreestr.

Vasiliev was governor for only one term and could have been re-elected for a second. But in October last year, RBC wrote that the Kremlin was dissatisfied with the governor of the Kirov region: one of the main complaints of the federal center against Vasiliev is the weak governance of the region; Vasiliev has a “catastrophically low rating,” the publication’s sources said.

14:30 Governor of the Tomsk region Sergei Zhvachkin announced that he is leaving his post. In his address to residents of the region, he noted that he is one of the most “mature” governors in the country (he turned 65 in January) and that his decision to resign was supported by Vladimir Putin.

In early February, RBC reported that Vladimir Mazur, deputy head of the Kremlin department for internal policy, could become the new governor of the Tomsk region. As the publication noted, the Kremlin had complaints against Zhvachkin due to the unsuccessful results of the elections to the Tomsk City Duma in 2020 for the authorities: then candidates supported by Alexei Navalny won in 19 of 27 districts.

13:31 Clement Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs in the French government, said that the final decision on introducing an oil embargo against Russia could be made this week, before May 15. Today Emmanuel Macron will discuss the refusal of Russian oil with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

13:03 The Seimas of Lithuania recognized Russia as a terrorist state, and its actions in Ukraine as genocide. The Lithuanian parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday for the relevant resolution. The Seimas also called on the international community to create a special criminal tribunal to investigate and evaluate Russia's actions against Ukraine.

12:26 German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday morning. This is the first representative of the German government to visit Ukraine since the beginning of the “special operation,” notes Süddeutsche Zeitung. Upon arrival, she visited Bucha, and then she planned negotiations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba.

11:40 The Ministry of Finance stated that information about a possible fall in Russia's GDP by 12% by the end of 2022 is not true. This assessment was given by Bloomberg the day before with reference to the ministry’s internal report. According to the agency, the document shows that Russia faces the deepest economic downturn in almost three decades. “The Ministry of Finance’s powers do not include preparing official macroeconomic forecasts,” the ministry’s press service told The Bell. The department expects that the measures taken by the government and the Central Bank will significantly mitigate the negative consequences of sanctions and ensure stable economic development.

11:30 The main thing for the night and morning:

— Video hosting Rutube has still not resumed work after the cyberattack on the night of May 9. Its website states that it “was attacked,” “the situation is under control, user data has been saved,” and “technical work is underway.” A source from The Village close to the Rutube team reports that as a result of the hackers’ actions, the site’s code was “completely removed,” and now the video service is “irrecoverable.” The video hosting press service denies information about the loss of the code, but confirms that the cyber attack was “the most powerful in the entire history of Rutube.” It is also noted that hackers damaged “more than 75% of the bases and infrastructure of the main version and 90% of backups and database recovery clusters.” Rutube does not undertake to predict when the service will resume operation. The site has been unavailable for more than a day. Read more in our news .

— The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that she was able to make progress in negotiations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the issue of sanctions and energy security. The Hungarian side also reported “some progress” in the negotiations. Hungary's position was one of the obstacles in the process of agreeing on the oil embargo against Russia. Budapest demands a delay in abandoning Russian oil.

— The German government is preparing a package of emergency measures in the event of a sudden cessation of gas supplies from Russia, Reuters reports , citing sources. According to the agency, Berlin fears that Moscow may unilaterally cut off gas flows and wants to be prepared for such a development. The emergency plan involves supporting energy companies, including through additional loans and government guarantees. In addition, the German government could take control of critical enterprises, such as oil refineries.

— US President Joe Biden signed a law on sending, among other things, military aid to Ukraine under the Lend-Lease program. This is a program under which the United States leased or loaned military equipment to the Allies during World War II. The law speeds up and simplifies the delivery of military aid to Ukraine.

— Japan included in the sanctions lists more than 140 more citizens of Russia, DPR and LPR, as well as over 70 Russian companies. The sanctions included, in particular, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council Rashid Nurgaliev, Commander of the Southern Military District Alexander Dvornikov, General Director of Surgutneftegaz Vladimir Bogdanov, wife of entrepreneur Gennady Timchenko Elena, entrepreneur Gleb Frank, head of the DPR Denis Pushilin, head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik. Among the legal entities under sanctions were Almaz-Antey, the Meteor plant, Inteltech, and structures of the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation.

Continued online May 10

19:36 The Joe Biden administration launched an investigation into Kaspersky Lab software at the beginning of the year, three Reuters interlocutors said . This happened amid concerns about possible cyber attacks after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. Another source said the case was transferred from the Justice Department last year to the Commerce Department. But the latter did not make much progress in the investigation until the White House and other representatives of the presidential administration called for more active steps, three sources said. The concern is that Moscow could use anti-virus software with privileged access to computer systems to steal confidential information and perform other manipulations. According to Reuters, of particular concern is the risk of leakage of access to the networks of contractors and operators of critical US infrastructure - for example, the power grid. American regulators have already banned the government from using Kaspersky Lab software. As a result, the company could be forced to take measures to reduce the risks associated with its products, or even prohibit Americans from using them, the agency admits.

16:47 Russia is facing the deepest economic downturn in almost three decades - according to preliminary forecasts, GDP will decline by 12% this year. This assessment is given in an internal report of the Russian Ministry of Finance, writes Bloomberg. The government has not yet presented a forecast, but, according to the Ministry of Economic Development, the GDP drop will be 8%, according to the agency’s interlocutors familiar with the calculations. They noted that the likelihood of errors remains high amid the continuation of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine and the preparation of further economic sanctions against Russia, including an oil embargo.

16:02 The founder of the Baring Vostok investment fund, Michael Calvey, left Russia even before the start of the “special operation” and has no plans to return, Bloomberg’s interlocutors said . Baring Vostok's partners, including California pension fund CalPERS and General Electric's pension fund, doubt they will be able to recover their investments. Russian assets are “now virtually useless” for foreigners, since non-residents are temporarily prohibited from selling them, the agency notes.

13:53 Based on the results of negotiations over the weekend, the European Union intends to weaken the proposed sanctions measures against Russian oil, Bloomberg reports , citing sources and official documents. However, the bloc still plans to expand sanctions on shipping and leave in place a key provision to limit Moscow's ability to export oil around the world. According to the agency, the EU will abandon the initiative to ban European ships from transporting Russian oil to third countries, but will maintain a ban on insuring such shipments.

12:37 The United States announced the release of a record volume of oil from the strategic reserve in March without consultation with IEA partners, according to two Reuters interlocutors. The remaining states were forced to conduct their own stockpile releases.

The IEA helps coordinate efforts among member countries to prevent significant disruptions to oil supplies. Reuters writes that Washington's unilateral move could undermine US relations with the IEA and raise questions about the group's continued relevance. Countries are concerned that Joe Biden is using the reserve to curb inflation at home for political reasons rather than to protect consumers from supply disruptions, the people said.

12:14 Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine do not stop and are taking place remotely, said the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky. He noted that for a face-to-face meeting, “more specifics” are needed.

11:01 The main thing for the night and morning

• European countries should consider withdrawing the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank to restore Ukraine, says EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. As an example, he cited the situation with the frozen assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan worth billions of dollars, part of which the United States sent in February to pay victims of terrorism and humanitarian aid to the country. Brussels has not yet put forward any proposals on this issue, although this idea has long been discussed as one of the ways to seek compensation from Russia. According to European Commission estimates, the restoration of Ukraine may require hundreds of billions of euros.
• The UK has imposed new sanctions against Russia and Belarus totaling £1.7 billion ($2.09 billion). There are 35 per cent tariffs on £1.4 billion worth of imports, including platinum, palladium and chemicals from both countries. Export restrictions will also affect goods in the industrial sector and in the field of heavy engineering worth more than £250 million. The total value of goods from Russia subject to full or partial import and export restrictions will exceed £4 billion.
• Canada announced that it will send military aid to Ukraine worth 50 million Canadian dollars. Duties on Ukrainian goods will be canceled within a year. Ottawa will also allocate 25 million Canadian dollars to the UN World Food Program to address food security problems in Ukraine. Along with this, Canada is introducing sanctions against 40 individuals (“oligarchs” and “regime associates” in the defense sector) and five legal entities from Russia.

Continued online May 9

19:45 The White House announced new sanctions against Russia. In short:

• The restrictions will affect state channels - Channel One, Rossiya-1 and NTV. American companies are now prohibited from advertising there and providing them with their equipment.
• The “black list” includes 8 executives of Sberbank, 27 top managers of Gazprombank, as well as the Moscow Industrial Bank and its subsidiaries.
• A ban has been introduced for American citizens and organizations to provide auditing, consulting and marketing services to Russian firms.
• The export of nuclear materials and industrial equipment is prohibited.
• Visa restrictions apply to another 2,600 officials from Russia and Belarus, as well as military officials.

A more detailed list of individuals and legal entities is provided on the Ministry of Finance website.

18:03 The Biden administration will send a group of diplomats to restore the work of the US Embassy in Kiev. Their return is planned to coincide with Victory Day on May 9, CBS News reports , citing four American officials. Sources say that the embassy itself will begin work “in the coming weeks.”

15:25 Hungary continues to block the sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia, Bloomberg interlocutors said . Sunday's talks in Brussels ended without an agreement. They are expected to resume in the coming days.

14:13 The world is facing the worst famine since World War II, which will lead to the death of millions, says German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze. Food prices have increased by a third and reached a historical high - first due to the coronavirus pandemic and severe drought, and now the conflict around Ukraine, the politician states. She also cited data from the UN World Food Program, according to which more than 300 million people suffer from acute hunger in the world, and estimates are constantly being adjusted upward.

Useful materials from The Bell that can help you navigate the news flow:

• The EU countries could not agree on an oil embargo against Russia until Friday evening, but the de facto dispute is already going on only about the months of delay for Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The European oil embargo is one of the most powerful measures in the sanctions arsenal. How much it will hit the Russian economy and budget, read here .
• The first months of 2022 have been for the American shares for the worst beginning of the year since 1939. After the announcement of the Fed’s decision on the rate this week, the rebound lasted only day and did not turn the overall trend: assessments of assets that have grown in price during the pandemic are quickly reduced. What is happening with the markets, we sorted it here .
• Yandex suspended or reduced investments in new projects in Russia and abroad, got rid of the most toxic assets and examined more than a dozen business restructuring options. The Bell found out how the largest Russian IT company was on the verge of default, its general director-under sanctions, and the options of thousands of employees were resetting one day.
• One of the most pressing problems for those who emigrate seriously is to find work abroad and gain a foothold in the new country. We tell you whether the Russian passport interferes with employment, where to look for foreign vacancies and why talk about politics in international interviews is a bad idea.

12:11 UK will allocate £ 1.3 billion military assistance to Ukraine. This will almost double the previous London obligations for expenses to Kiev. The authorities say that the level of expenses for the resolution of the conflict around Ukraine has become the highest since the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Details of calculations are not given. Additional funds will be taken from the reserve for unforeseen expenses, the British government said.

11:19 The head of the Bundestag Berbel Bas arrived in Kiev, where the memory of the victims of the Second World War will be honored. On behalf of the Bundestag, the politician will lay wreaths at the grave of an unknown soldier and the memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Babi Yar. BAS also has a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky.

The position of chairman of the Bundestag is considered the second most important after the president’s post. Thus, the bass becomes the first significant political figure from the Germany to visit Ukraine since the beginning of hostilities.

11:01 The main thing per night and morning

• The European Commission plans to approve the plan in case of possible termination of gas supplies from Russia. He obliges the European Union countries that have alternative suppliers to share fuel with the most affected states, writes El País. In this regard, when normalizing energy consumption, which will begin with the industrial sector, Brussels will ensure that the companies from the EU do not have a competitive advantage due to the actions of Moscow, the Spanish newspaper said.
• Vyacheslav Volodin calculated the number of sanctions imposed against Russia since 2014. Only 10128-“more than against any other state in the history of their existence,” the State Duma speaker notes .
• Vladimir Zelensky said that more than 300 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol thanks to the efforts of the ICK and the UN. Now the Ukrainian authorities, together with international organizations, are preparing for the second stage - the evacuation of the wounded, doctors and military personnel, the president said. According to the DPR, 176 civilians were brought in total.

Continuation of online May 8

19:19 All women, children and elderly people from the territory of the Azovstal plant are evacuated, said Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Vereshchuk. This part of the humanitarian operation in Mariupol, according to her, has been completed. The Russian side has not yet commented on the application.

16:11 In February 2022, the number of armor at the Booking.com service corresponded to the level of the same month of 2019, the most successful period of the pre -ovid era, and now has decreased by 9%, RBC reports with reference to the quarterly reporting of the head Booking Holdings. If we exclude Russia and Belarus, where Booking.com suspended its activities, as well as Ukraine, the number of reserved nights decreased by 6%. User activity also decreased in Europe in the whole.

15:16 Gazprom is trying to convince European partners that they can pay for deliveries without violating sanctions, Bloomberg reports citing a letter from the company. In it, among other things, Gazprom writes that the provisions of the new presidential decree of May 4 specify the scheme for calculations in rubles proposed at the end of March. It follows from the new decree that the foreign currency will be transferred to rubles through the National Clearing Center. According to Bloomberg, Gazprom claims that the procedure ensures the “transparency of the movement of funds” from foreign buyers and excludes the possibility of participation of the “third party”. The Central Bank that fell under the sanctions will not be involved.

14:36 ​​The UN Security Council accepted the first joint statement from Ukraine from February 24 and supported the efforts of the UN Secretary General Antoniu Gutherrisha to peacefully settle the conflict. The text of the application was prepared by Norway and Mexico.

A previous attempt to achieve consensus failed because of the Russian veto. Now all members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, expressed “deep concern about maintaining peace and security of Ukraine” and indicated the obligation to “allow international disputes by peaceful means”.

13:24 Mobile operators of the DPR and LPR will go to the Russian system of mobile numbers, the heads of the self -proclaimed republics Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik said. Subscribers learn about the appropriation of the +7 code from SMS newsletters, then the 949 numbers for the DPR and “959” for the LPR will follow. SIM cards do not need to be changed, the current number (last seven digits) will remain the same.

12:01 The main thing per night and morning

• Western banks allow full departure from Russia and for this case reserved more than $ 10 billion, writes FT. The newspaper estimates their total investments in Russia at $ 86 billion, the state in the country is approximately 40,000 employees. This week, Italian Unicredit reserved € 1.3 billion when assessing damage from the complete termination of Russia's business at € 5.3 billion, the French Crédit Agricole announced that he allocated € 389 million for risks associated with Russia, and the on the eve of relations with a number of banks -Prenders from Russia Austrian Raiffeisen Bank in total in the first quarter of 2022 created reserves for € 319 million.
• Chinese IT giants without public statements began to turn their products to Russia under pressure from American sanctions, WSJ interlocutors said . Among several large companies were the manufacturer of personal computers and other Lenovo Group electronics, as well as the Xiaomi brand. Sources say that the main American chip manufacturers also have pressure on business. They require their Chinese partners so that their semiconductors do not supply to Russia through third parties in violation of the sanctions regime.
• The English football club Chelsea, who belonged to Roman Abramovich, officially found the new owner. A group of investors, led by American billionaire Todd Boeli, agreed on the purchase. The deal is planned to be closed before the end of May. From its total amount of £ 2.5 billion, investors will pay for shares in Chelsea (funds will be transferred to charitable goals), and another £ 1.75 billion will be invested in the development of the club.
• In Italy, the Shaherezada megahahya was detained, which was associated with Vladimir Putin in the United States. Its cost is estimated at $ 700 million. The ship was moored in September last year for repair work, in May, preparations for sailing began . From the message of the Ministry of Economics and Finance of Italy it follows that the yacht “under the flag of the Kaiman Islands” “under the flag of the Kaiman Islands” has long been under the close attention of the authorities. The reason for the arrest is the presence of “significant economic and business relations” between the beneficiary and “prominent representatives of the Russian government”, as well as other persons under sanctions (who is not specified about whom it is).

Continuation of online May 7

21:14 The Ministry of Justice recognized the rapper Morgenstern as a foreign agent. He also included the Apology society and seven people (Leonid Gozman, Lyubov Sobol, Vladimir Milov, Boris Kagarlitsky, Mikhail Klimarev, Natalya Baranova and Denis Konstantinov) in the register of media-foreign agents.

20:43 Chinese technological companies slowly, without public statements, contrary to Beijing’s official position, refuse to conduct business in Russia due to fears of secondary sanctions, writes The Wall Street Journal with reference to sources. Among these companies, the newspaper calls Lenovo and Xiaomi. The export of Chinese technological products to Russia has sharply reduced in March, WSJ notes: laptop supplies fell by 40%, smartphones by almost two -thirds.

19:28 Weekly inflation in Russia slowed down slightly, follows from the data of the Ministry of Economic Development. In the week from April 23 to 29, it amounted to 0.21% compared with 0.25% for the previous period. In annual terms, inflation increased to 17.73% from 17.7% week earlier. Read more in our news .

19:14 The Ministry of Justice excluded four more people from the register of media-foreign agents. These are activists Vladimir Zhilkin, Alexander Lutov, Alexander Grasyev and Ilya Pigalkin.

18:55 Shell confirmed that it is negotiating the sale of its gas stations in Russia and the plant for the production of lubricants in Torzhok. On the eve of this was reported by Forbes with reference to sources. The work of gas stations and the Shell plant will be suspended “to ensure the sale” in the near future, the company noted.

Shell does not give other details. Forbes reported that Lukoil claims to be assets of the British-Niderland company. True, an asset with encumbrance: according to the publication, gas stations are sold with personnel and the condition that employees will pay salaries before the end of the year, and the factory in Torzhka - loans for 9 billion rubles.

17:16 Anatoly Chubais, who in March left the post of special representative of the president on sustainable development issues and left Russia, “visited Turkey, and then Israel, where he discussed the issues of cooperation with a number of universities,” his representative said to RBC.

He denied TASS information that Chubais flew to Italy on a private plane, where he has property: “Anatoly Chubais did not visit Italy over the past months, he has no and had never had a personal aircraft, nor foreign real estate in any country of the world. "

16:55 “Tinkoff” suspended the SWIFT transfers in the euro due to an increase in the timing of their passage. The bank recommended that the SWIFT transforms in dollars.

15:36 Google, which has suspended the Google Play payment system for users from Russia on March 10, from May 5, Russian developers banned support and updating paid applications due to sanctions. Paid subscriptions will be canceled at the end of the paid period. For free applications, support and update are allowed. On the eve of Kommersant learned that Sber could collapse the Sbergames project due to the impossibility of monetization and distribution through Google Play and App Store.

14:34 Fourth in assets in the banking system of Kazakhstan “Daughter” by Sberbank will go to the Baiterek State holding, and at the second stage the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) may join it, Frank Media found out . The transaction will take place according to the estimate of 0.3 - 0.5 capital (now about $ 850 million). Subsequently, a privatization of the asset by one of the local players is possible. An important condition of Sberbank is the refund of interbank loans for 150 billion rubles issued by the Kazakh "daughter" to the "special operation".

13:23 Europe can reduce the need for Russian gas almost double - by 70 billion cubic meters a year, the Guidehouse consulting company supported by Rockwool says . Such savings are possible if you bring all buildings with low energy efficiency G and F to classes C and B due to thermal insulation and heating with heat pumps. So far, the EU is seriously considered only upgrade to class E by 2033, which can save 22 billion cubic meters.

To submit a plan of rejection of Russian gas, including a wide package of energy efficiency, the European Commission should already in May.

13:11 Dmitry Peskov announced Putin's performance at the Victory Parade on May 9.

12:10 According to the Ministry of Finance, the Russian budget in April did not receive 133 billion rubles of oil and gas revenues to the expected level. However, this means that the total volume of additional oil and gas revenues still exceeded the basic (according to the budget rule) by 281 billion rubles. Since the budget rule is suspended, this money will not go to the purchase of foreign currency or gold, it reminds the Ministry of Finance.

11:51 The Ministry of Industry and Trade has published an extensive list of groups of goods for which parallel imports are allowed. It has a lot of automobile brands - from Jeep to Bugatti and household appliances.

11:14 Having fallen under the sanctions of the EU Sokomflot, the largest shipping company in Russia, really sells part of its ships-but mostly age and those that are inappropriate to operate in the new conditions, writes RBC with reference to the press service. On the eve of Lloyd's List, he wrote that the company sells 40 out of 121 ships to pay off currency loans. At the end of April, “Sovcomflot” admitted that he could not pay a coupon by Eurobonds due to the fault of a payment agent.

10:46 Profit of the Netherlands banking group ING in the first quarter - 452 million euros - a third below forecasts. The main reason is the creation of reserves for 834 million euros for loans related to Russia. ING has not many loans to Russian borrowers - 5.3 billion euros or 0.9% of the portfolio, and the results of the group look pale and without Russia, Reuters notes .

10:20:20 The sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia has been updated in terms of the oil embargo, sources report . Firstly, it will not come into effect six months after approval, but after nine. Secondly, the European Union will help update the related infrastructure to countries most dependent on Russian oil.

The latter looks like a concession to the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, who actually demanded from the EU to compensate for the damage to his country from the embargo, and today declared that it is tantamount to an “atomic bomb dropped into the economy”.

According to Bloomberg, Hungary and Slovakia will allow to buy Russian oil until the end of 2024, the Czech Republic - until June 2024. Orban wanted to extend for five years. The negotiations of countries on the sixth package will continue today, and will be long and complex, the agency awaits.

09:15 The main thing per night and morning

• Cryptocurrencies will not help Russian companies bypass sanctions - their market is simply too small and transparent to ensure the desired volume of anonymous transactions, follows the report of Moody's.
• The United States provided the Ukrainian side with data on the Moscow cruiser before its death, found out CNN. The Pentagon claims that the information provided was not a target designation.
• By the end of April, the average price of a used car in Russia fell by 15% from the March peak. Demand in the sector is reduced more than 3 million rubles, and especially for European -made cars, for which problems with spare parts are likely.
• The dollar is growing to almost all world currencies after increasing the Fed’s rate and the collapse of the shares on the eve.
• The prosecutor’s office wants to withdraw $ 750 million from the Magomedov brothers received from the sale of the Novorossiysk port, referring to the illegal income of Magomedov Sr. The amount is unprecedented for Russia, writes Kommersant.
• The Chelsea football club Roman Abramovich is close to sale, the buyer is a consortium led by the ex-president of Guggenheim Partners, the American billionaire Todd Beli, Bloomberg found out . The amount is unknown, but it will obviously surpass the previous Manchester United record, for which more than 700 million pounds paid in 2005.

Continuation of online May 6

20:54 Shell is close to the sale of almost four hundreds of his gas stations in Russia, one of the applicants - “Lukoil”, recognized Forbes. True, an asset with burden: gas stations are sold with personnel and the condition that employees will pay salaries before the end of the year. In addition, the company gives the “lubricants in a torge with loans for 9 billion rubles in the load”.

19:12 Great Britain imposed sanctions with freezing of assets against the metallurgical and mining company Evraz. Justification: “Evraz produces 28% of wheeled pairs and 97% of the rails in Russia. This is a vital enterprise, since Russia uses railways to move troops and their supply on the front line in Ukraine. ” The largest shareholder of the company remain Roman Abramovich (28.64%) and his business partner Alexander Abramov (through Abiglaze Ltd., 19.32%).

17:49 Coinbase crypto-rope sent part of users from Russia a warning about blocking accounts from May 31 due to sanctions, Kommersant writes . It applies to those who have more than 10 thousand euros on wallets - they need to be withdrawn before May 31 or provide evidence that the owner of the wallet does not fall under the sanctions of the EU. At the end of April, another crypto -streak - Binance - in accordance with the fifth EU sanctions package, introduced restrictions for users from Russia.

17:38 “Lukoil” asked investors in his bonds nominated in foreign currencies, to identify himself and inform Bloomberg. This is unusual, the agency notes: as a rule, identification is carried out before a transaction such as redeeming debt obligations, and in adverse cases - to the restructuring of the debt. Представитель компании сослался на уже известный релиз о прекращении «Лукойлом» листинга своих депозитарных расписок за пределами России и не дал дополнительных комментариев.

Сам «Лукойл» не находится под санкциями и исправно платит по валютным обязательствам. Но должность президента и совет директоров недавно оставил основатель компании Вагит Алекперов, попавший под санкции Великобритании.

17:06 Администрация Байдена планирует начать восполнение распущенных стратегических резервов нефти этой осенью, детали могут быть обнародованы уже сегодня. Скорее всего, закупки 60 млн баррелей будут распланированы на годы вперед с учетом конъюнктуры рынка и производиться не по текущим высоким ценам. Реализация стратегических резервов нефти США (по 1 млн б/с в течение 6 месяцев) началась в марте с целью сбить цены с тогдашних $140 за баррель.

15:35 Потери европейских банков от сворачивания бизнеса в России достигли $7 млрд, из этой суммы примерно половина приходится на продавший «Росбанк» группе Владимира Потанина Societe Generale. Резервы по кредитам топ-14 банков подскочили почти на $4 млрд, и в основном это связано со «спецоперацией» на Украине. Потенциально проблемных долгов заметно больше: один «Райффайзен» раскрыл в числе наиболее рискованных 1,8 млрд евро кредитов автоотрасли и 1,2 млрд евро производителям химической продукции и удобрений.

15:08 На сегодняшней встрече ОПЕК+ принято ожидаемое решение о наращивании квот на добычу нефти в июне — на 432 тысячи б/с. Квота России по-прежнему равна квоте Саудовской Аравии — 10,663 млн б/с.

14:37 Финский производитель обжаренного кофе Paulig передал российский бизнес топ-менеджеру конкурента Milagro гражданину Индии Викасу Сои, пишет РБК. Главный актив — завод по обжарке кофе в Твери, бренды и рецепты Paulig в сделку не включены .

14:09 Банк Англии поднял ключевую ставку до 1% с 0,75% в условиях самой высокой за десятилетия инфляции (в марте — 7% в годовом выражении). В последний раз такой уровень ставки был в 2009 году.

13:58 Еврокомиссия все еще не дала европейским компаниям точных инструкций, как вести расчеты за газ через рубли, пишет Bloomberg. На то, что разъяснений нет несмотря на срочность вопроса, жалуются итальянские чиновники и руководство французского энергетического гиганта Engie.

12:03 Представители стран ЕС продолжают обсуждать шестой пакет санкций. Между тем министр экономики Словакии Ричард Сулик заявил, что его страна не будет разрушать единство ЕС и поддержит нефтяное эмбарго — но при условии, что ей разрешат получать российскую нефть до конца 2025 года.

11:59 Налоговая служба Великобритании (HMRC) отозвала у Мосбиржи статус признанной. Инвесторы не смогут воспользоваться налоговыми льготами Великобритании при торговле на Мосбирже, что снизит ее привлекательность.

11:45 Российская экономика в краткосрочной перспективе выдержит европейское нефтяное эмбарго, пишет Financial Times, опросившая российских и зарубежных экономистов. Main:

• Снижение поставок пока компенсируется высокими ценами на нефть, бюджет сходится уже при $44 за баррель;
• Азия не сможет полностью компенсировать России европейское направление — и из-за слабой инфраструктуры, и из-за неопределенности реального спроса;
• Среднесрочные и долгосрочные последствия эмбарго будут более суровыми и начнут сказываться на экономической активности и курсе рубля уже в 2023 году. Нефтяная отрасль перестанет быть «дойной коровой» бюджета;
• На первый план скоро могут выйти проблемы с доставкой нефти танкерами, которые станет невозможно зафрахтовать в достаточном количестве из-за угрозы санкций;
• Европу тоже ждут значительные расходы на адаптацию НПЗ к альтернативной нефти.

11:25 В первые три месяца 2022 года число сделок по покупке недвижимости в ОАЭ с участием россиян выросло на две трети, пишет BBC со ссылкой на участников рынка. Это одна из немногих стран, не вводившая никаких санкций.

11:03 Shell вслед за BP отчиталась об одном из лучших кварталов в своей истории. Взлетевшие цены на нефть и газ позволили ей почти утроить (до $9,13 млрд) скорректированную на стоимость замещения запасов прибыль в годовом выражении. Даже если учесть потери в $3,9 млрд от ухода из России, это ненамного меньше прибыли в четвертом квартале. С конца февраля нефтяные мейджоры (кроме Chevron с ее КТК) списали в России $37 млрд.

10:51 Инфляция в Турции в апреле превзошла прогноз и достигла 70% в годовом выражении на подорожании энергоресурсов и продовольствия. Опережающими темпами росли цены производителей — на 7,25% к марту и на 122% в годовом выражении. Даже базовая инфляция в стране превысила 50%. При ключевой ставке в 14% в Турции сейчас самая низкая в мире реальная ставка — минус 56%.

10:29 Итальянский Unicredit получил в России 915 млрд евро квартального убытка и зарезервировал на потери 1,3 млрд евро. В отчете банковской группы постоянно встречается фраза «excluding Russia» - например, «чистая квартальная прибыль 1,2 млрд евро, чистый доход 4,7 млрд евро... без учета России».

10:10 Минпромторг поддержал идею в условиях санкций ограничить налоговые платежи предприятий черной металлургии заложенными в бюджет 131 млрд рублей, пишет РБК. С учетом ценовой конъюнктуры сумма акцизов на сталь и НДПИ на коксующийся уголь и железную руду в этом году может превысить 200 млрд рублей. Против Минфин, указывающий на достаточную операционную рентабельность отрасли. Минпромторг не впервые поддерживает металлургов — в прошлом году министр Денис Мантуров выступал против изъятия у них 100 млрд рублей.

8:45 Главное за ночь и утро:

— Япония пока не будет отказываться от российской нефти. Токио поддерживает планы Евросоюза ввести нефтяное эмбарго, но присоединяться к нему в ближайшее время не планирует из-за ограниченности ресурсов, заявил японский министр экономики, торговли и промышленности Коити Хагиуда.

— Первый замруководителя администрации президента России Сергей Кириенко посетил Мариуполь и Волноваху в ходе «насыщенной поездки по освобожденным территориям», сообщил глава ДНР Денис Пушилин. Чиновник побывал на заводе им. Ильича, в центре помощи «Единой России», на открытии памятника «знаменитой бабушке со Знаменем Победы». В конце апреля РБК со ссылкой на источники сообщал, что Кириенко стал куратором отношений с ДНР и ЛНР в Кремле. Это может означать рассмотрение сценария присоединения республик к России, отмечал один из собеседников издания.

— Китай начал масштабное стресс-тестирование своей экономики и финансовой системы на случай введения санкций Запада, аналогичных тем, что применяются против России. Об этом пишет The Guardian со ссылкой на источники. Собеседники издания назвали стресс-тестирование «естественной реакцией» Пекина с учетом его тесных отношений с Москвой. Один из источников рассказал, что китайские дипломаты в последние несколько недель встречались с экспертами, чтобы понять возможные пути развития конфликта.

— Акционеры требуют от Netflix компенсации. Инвестиционный фонд из Техаса подал в суд на видеосервис, обвинив его в том, что он своевременно не сообщил о снижении числа подписчиков. Истцы хотят, чтобы компания возместила им убытки, которые они понесли из-за обвала котировок Netflix после публикации финансовых результатов. Акции видеосервиса 20 апреляподешевели более чем на 30% после того, как он сообщил о первом за 10 лет сокращении числа платных подписчиков.

— После покупки «Газпром-медиа» холдинга VK продукты VK Combo оказались в подписке бывшего конкурента «Огонь», которую запустил Газпромбанк, обнаружил «Коммерсант». Это означает начало консолидации рынка программ лояльности, полагают опрошенные изданием эксперты.

Продолжение онлайна 5 мая

21:05 ФРС США подняла ставку на 50 базисных пунктов. Это первое повышение с таким шагом с 2000 года.

20:00 На сайте Кремля опубликован президентский указ о временном порядке выполнения обязательств перед некоторыми иностранными кредиторами. Он уточняет полномочия ЦБ и Минфина в части разрешений на выплаты иностранным кредиторам, а также механизм расчета за газ в рублях с участием «Национального клирингового центра». Без разрешения российских финансовых властей иностранцы из недружественных стран могут покупать и продавать недвижимость (но не выводить полученные средства), участвовать в долевом строительстве, а также покупать за рубли допвыпуски российских компаний и докупать доли, если в итоге у них будет меньше 25%.

19:04 Перед закрытием торгов на Мосбирже доллар упал ниже 67 рублей, евро — ниже 70. Курс покупки в обменниках несколько ниже курса ЦБ, продажи — заметно выше .

18:04 Алишер Усманов оспорил санкции ЕС против себя в Европейском суде общей юрисдикции. Иск подан 29 апреля. По опыту такие разбирательства тянутся годами и редко заканчиваются победой истцов. Например, экс-президент Украины Виктор Янукович и его сын остаются под санкциями с 2014 года, хотя им удалось оспорить санкции, наложенные позднее.

17:52 ФАС разрешила ТК «Мультипро» купить компанию «Вимм-Билль-Данн Напитки» (конечный владелец — ограничившая деятельность в России PepsiCo). «Мультипро» известна брендом сыров Alti, бенефициаром компании указан бизнесмен Александр Тростянецкий.

16:53 Австрийская группа Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) рассматривает несколько вариантов судьбы российской «дочки», включая продажу, узнало Frank Media. У RBI несколько необязывающих предложений. Основная альтернатива — снижение доли в Райффайзенбанке ниже контрольной, не исключено и выделение российского бизнеса в отдельную структуру.

Значительная экспозиция на Россию сказывается на бизнесе всей группы. С одной стороны, «Райффайзен», оставаясь одним из считанных иностранных банков с доступом к российскому рынку, в первом квартале заработал 442 млн евро. Это втрое больше прогнозов и объясняется в основном именно российскими операциями, включая конвертацию валюты. С другой — российская «дочка» потеряла 14% клиентов, резервирование рисков по России и Украине растет, а имидж группы в Европе ухудшается.

16:09 В шестой пакет санкций на уровне Еврокомиссии добавлен полный запрет на операции с недвижимостью в странах ЕС (включая продажу и передачу) для граждан России и российских компаний, пишет Bloomberg. Лазейки в виде непрямых сделок и паевых инвестиций в документе перекрыты сразу же и в явном виде. Ограничения не касаются лиц с гражданством или видом на жительство в ЕС, а также Швейцарии. Эта мера еще требует одобрения стран-членов.

15:28 Великобритания расширила санкции еще на 63 физлица и компании. В их числе — руководитель подсанкционного банка «Открытие» Михаил Задорнов, экс-министр экономразвития, помощник президента России Максим Орешкин, телеведущие Наиля Аскер-Заде и Михаил Леонтьев, гендиректор «Ростеха» Сергей Чемезов, автозавод «Камаз», МФТИ и «Волга групп» Геннадия Тимченко.

14:34 Новые детали механизма нефтяного эмбарго со стороны Германии со слов министра экономики Роберта Хабека. С учетом переходного периода страна справится, считает он , хотя отдельные проблемы возможны. Самая очевидная из них — крупный НПЗ «Роснефти» в Шведте у границы с Польшей, получающий нефть по нефтепроводу «Дружба». Никаких стимулов менять ресурсную базу у предприятия нет, а поэтому решение о его судьбе будет политическим. Скорее всего, предприятие перейдет под контроль государства.

14:05 Индия хочет от России больших скидок на нефть — до уровня ниже $70 с учетом (заметно подорожавшей) доставки при текущей цене Brent на уровне $108, пишет Bloomberg. С конца февраля индийские нефтепереработчики купили порядка 40 млн баррелей российской нефти и могут покупать 15 млн баррелей в месяц — но только на своих условиях, говорят источники агентства.

13:55 В шестом пакете санкций ЕС не только Россия: в него может войти главный в Белоруссии (и второй в мире) производитель калийных удобрений «Беларуськалий» с экспортным подразделением, а также ориентированный на экспорт в ЕС НПЗ «Нафтан».

13:34 «Это неправда, это чушь». Так Дмитрий Песков ответил на вопрос, можно ли верить публикациям о том, что 9 мая в России объявят всеобщую мобилизацию.

13:13 Минфин опубликовал данные о средней цене нефти Urals: $84,68 за баррель в январе–апреле 2022 года по сравнению с $60,47 за баррель за первые четыре месяца 2021 года. В апреле этого года баррель Urals стоил $70,52.

12:59 Правительство запустило программу льготной ипотеки для IT-специалистов по ставке не более 5% годовых. Максимальный размер займа в регионах-миллионниках составит 18 млн рублей, в других — 9 млн.

Кроме того, правительство сообщило , что окажет дополнительную финансовую поддержку российскому кинематографу в размере 5,5 млрд рублей (помимо 9 млрд, которые уже были предусмотрены на поддержку отрасли в этом году).

12:29 Не все западные компании приостанавливают инвестиции в российский бизнес: шведский концерн Hilding Anders до конца года инвестирует 193,5 млн рублей в производителя товаров для сна «Аскона», где ему принадлежат 73%. Средства пойдут на обновление производства и расширение ассортимента, сообщили в российской компании.

«Коммерсант» отмечает , что «Аскона» сейчас находится в сложном положении, поскольку четверть всей продукции она продавала через магазины IKEA, приостановившие работу. Теперь компания пытается переориентироваться на маркетплейсы.

11:50 Минпромторг предложил снять до конца года ограничения по максимальной доле рынка для торговых сетей, которые собираются приобрести уходящие из России иностранные компании. Это может позволить X5 Group приобрести Prisma в Петербурге, считают опрошенные «Ведомостями» эксперты.

11:36 Число жалоб в Центробанк выросло на 38,1% в первом квартале года по сравнению с аналогичным периодом прошлого года. Причинами регулятор считает санкции и «повышенную неопределенность». «Значительная часть обращений была вызвана необходимостью разъяснения мер поддержки граждан и бизнеса, временного порядка операций с наличной валютой, приостановки торгов на бирже и работы платежных карт в условиях ограничений», — отмечает ЦБ.

На банки жаловались из-за отказа в выдаче средств с валютного вклада или банковского счета, из-за отсутствия наличных в банкоматах. На страховщиков — из-за отказа в заключении договора ОСАГО или проблем с оформлением электронных полисов.

11:28 Появились подробности допэмиссии «Аэрофлота», о которой сообщалось на прошлой неделе. Совет директоров компании рекомендовал разместить 5 424 308 073 дополнительных акций по цене 34,29 рубля. Вопрос будет рассматриваться на собрании акционеров 3 июня.

«Обозначенный объем допэмиссии при полном размещении соответствует размытию капитала компании в 3,2 раза, „Аэрофлот“ в таком случае получит около 186 млрд рублей. Фактический объем размещения может быть ниже — крупную долю новых бумаг, вероятней всего, выкупит государство», — пишет «БКС Экспресс».

Ранее «Интерфакс» сообщал , что на докапитализацию «Аэрофлота» могут выделить из ФНБ около 107 млрд рублей. При цене в 34,29 рубля за акцию это соответствует 57,5% от объявленного объема допэмиссии, отмечает «БКС Экспресс».

10:31 Проект шестого пакета санкций ЕС, по словам фон дер Ляйен, предполагает отключение от SWIFT Сбербанка и еще двух российских банков. По данным Politico, речь идет об МКБ и Россельхозбанке.

10:10 Доллар на открытии торгов на Мосбирже ненадолго опускался ниже 69 рублей, впервые с июня 2020 года. Евро торгуется ниже 73 рублей.

9:57 Глава Еврокомиссии Урсула фон дер Ляйен заявила , что шестой санкционный пакет ЕС будет представлен сегодня. В нем будет и нефтяное эмбарго, заявила она. Кроме этого — санкции против Сбербанка и еще двух крупнейших российских банков, а также против российских телевещателей. Персональные санкции будут введены против военных, подозреваемых в совершении военных преступлений, в том числе убийстве мирных жителей в Буче, сказала фон дер Ляйен. По данным AFP, санкции могут быть введены и против патриарха Кирилла.

Главное за ночь и утро 4 мая:

• Евросоюз в рамках шестого пакета санкций против России планирует полностью отказаться от импорта сырой нефти из России в течение 6 месяцев после принятия пакета и от импорта нефтепродуктов — до конца 2022 года, рассказали два еврочиновника WSJ. Для самых зависимых от российской нефти Венгрии и Словакии будет сделано исключение — им будет разрешено сохранить российский импорт на 20 месяцев. Черновик был разослан странам-членам ЕС вечером 3 марта и будет обсуждаться 4 марта. Собеседники WSJ рассчитывают, что план будет утвержден до конца недели.
• Переработка нефти в России продолжает снижаться и без официального эмбарго — в апреле российские НПЗ снизили объемы на 7%, пишет «Коммерсант». В мае, когда крупнейшие трейдеры прекратят закупки как минимум у государственных нефтекомпаний, падение ускорится, предполагает газета.
• Президент Украины Владимир Зеленский на конференции CEO, организованной The Wall Street Journal, назвал сумму ущерба, нанесенного украинской экономике российской «спецоперацией» — $600 млрд (ранее такую же цифру называл украинский премьер Денис Шмыгаль). Западные компании обязаны полностью и окончательно покинуть российский рынок, заявил Зеленский: «Если ваша компания остается в России, это означает, что вы поддерживаете военную машину».
• Стремление потребителей сокращать расходы в кризис привело к очередному перетоку посетителей кафе и ресторанов в фастфуд, пишет «Коммерсант». За два месяца оборот и число заказов в заведениях быстрого питания выросли на 16% год к году.
• Белоруссия начала внезапную проверку сил реагирования своих вооруженных сил. В ходе проверки воинские части и подразделения отработают приведение в боевую готовность, совершение марша в назначенные районы, выполнение учебно-боевых задач, говорится в сообщении минобороны страны. Проверка не несет никакой угрозы ни для европейского сообщества в целом, ни для соседних стран в частности, заявили в ведомстве.

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