The cost of war in Ukraine. Online April 17

The Bell continues to host an online video dedicated to the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022.

THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) IS PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED BY A FOREIGN AGENT OF THE BELL OR IS RELATED TO THE ACTIVITIES OF A FOREIGN AGENT OF THE BELL. 18+

Our site has been blocked. Subscribe to The Bell on Telegram!

As part of military censorship, Roskomnadzor blocked The Bell website, as well as dozens of other independent media. But we continue to work. Please subscribe to our channel in Telegram - where the editors publish news, analytics and exclusives the fastest. And here we tell where else to read us and how to support The Bell.

This online is complete. Read the new one here .

17:38 The deliveries of Russian oil by sea in the week by April 14 again rebounded to 3.4 million bpd, calculated Bloomberg . In practice, Russian exports are left with two destinations - India and China, with Turkey playing an insignificant role.

17:15 The Central Bank allowed the use of cryptocurrency in external settlements, but not within Russia

“We adhere to the same position that cryptocurrency inside the country ... should not be used, and for external payments we assume that this is possible in the form of an experiment, this bill is also being prepared in the form of an experimental legal regime,” said Central Bank Chairman Elvira Nabiullina today in the State Duma .

The Central Bank has a tough position regarding cryptocurrencies: you can mine crypto in Russia, but use it in payments and even place it only abroad. The use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment in Russia is also expressly prohibited by law.

16:16 The G7 countries have decided not to change the price ceiling for Russian oil - it will remain at $60 per barrel, has learned Reuters . The G7 members came to the conclusion that the current level simultaneously limits Russia's income and ensures the stability of the global energy market.

15:47 Elvira Nabiullina assured that the Central Bank does not plan to introduce additional currency restrictions, but it is possible to fine-tune existing measures.

14:30 Businesses will be allowed to reduce the one-time fee, subject to early payment

The one-time tax collection from businesses from the excess profits of 2021-2022 will be 5%, and not 10% for enterprises that pay it ahead of schedule, learned . Interfax

This innovation is contained in a bill developed by the Ministry of Finance, but not yet published. Business comments on the bill are being collected by the RSPP, officials are waiting for them this week.
As expected, the one-time fee amendments will only come into effect from 2024. However, in case of early payment, the tax rate will be 5% of the excess of profit for 2021–2022 over the figure for 2018–2019, and if paid in 2024, then 10%.
The fact that it is better to pay the fee this year, and next year it will be “less financially profitable”, said Finance Minister Anton Siluanov without details. It is planned to withdraw from the business about 300 billion rubles, exceptions are made for oil, coal companies and LNG producers.
How the idea to withdraw money from business developed and how the one-time fee is connected with the attempts of the authorities to nationalize and consolidate the Russian elite and officials, The Bell wrote here .

13:41 Newsweek also published part of the "Pentagon files" leak. The publication writes about the “date of the planned counter-offensive” on April 30, but it is indicated only as an approximate date for the readiness of nine NATO-trained brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and this document has already been among the first processed by other publications. CNN wrote that Ukraine's military plans have changed due to the leak.

11:44 Opposition politician and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza (recognized as a foreign agent) was sentenced to 25 years in prison in a case of treason. That was the time the prosecution demanded.

The verdict was handed down by judge Sergei Podoprigorov. He is included in the United States in the Magnitsky list, because he made the decision to arrest the Hermitage lawyer, who later died in a Russian prison. It was Kara-Murza, along with the late Boris Nemtsov, who promoted this list in the United States. Read more about the Kara-Murza case here .

11:00 The average lifespan of a smartphone in use by Russians has grown to three years from two in 2016-2017, writes Forbes. Market participants attribute this to the departure of first-tier brands and the curtailment of the demand stimulation associated with them: consumer loans, marketing campaigns, installments and trade-ins. Another factor is the slowdown in technological progress in this area. In 2022, the import of smartphones to Russia decreased by 22%, to 27.5 million, the share of the lower segment increased.

The main thing for the night and morning:

The unified register of persons liable for military service will be much more detailed than its name implies. The state is trying for the first time to implement a "superbase" of data, where all possible information about a person will be collected, and the risk of leaks from it will greatly increase. Read more in The Bell Tech Newsletter .
Western media continue to analyze the leak of "Pentagon files". The Washington Post drew attention to an assessment of the effectiveness of the Russian disinformation network in social networks - allegedly only 1% of bot accounts out of hundreds of thousands are detected. And the WSJ interviewed one of the administrators of the Donbass Devushka Telegram channel, from which the wide dissemination of materials began - it is conducted by ex-US Navy soldier Sarah Beals, who had access to state secrets.
The Ministry of Finance is discussing a monthly limit on the purchase of foreign currency on the domestic market for the purpose of leaving foreign companies, learned Vedomosti . The mechanism will be floating, without reference to any amount.
The Central Bank and the Moscow Exchange have prepared several measures to counter the non-standard volatility of third-tier stocks. The main one is the extension of the discrete auction regime to all stocks, not just those included in the index.
The forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development, updated last Friday (GDP growth by 1.2% instead of a decline of 0.8% in the September forecast, real wage growth by 5%, the dollar at 76.5 rubles) is actually realistic, but only if there are no new external shocks, writes . Kommersant
The authorities of the Belgorod region on Monday night announced the elimination of two fires at civilian facilities. According to social media reports , two substations supplying Belgorod itself were on fire, and Ukrainian drones may have been hit.