photo Max Novikov for Forbes The CEO of the jewelry company Gem Tech, Evgeniy Piven, resigned from the treasury to make small copies of Mercedes retro cars from precious metals for €40,000 Economist Evgeny Piven has always loved cars, but the turning point for him was the exhibition of retro cars in Moscow in 2006. Then, together with his future business partner Sergei Rykov, he walked along the rows of cars and was amazed at how well they were made.

The Main Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings against leading state officials for organizing premeditated murders during the confrontation in the center of Kiev from November 2013 to February 2014, according to the department's website.

Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Ministry of Defense to conduct a sudden comprehensive check of the combat readiness of the Western and Central military districts, as well as a number of military branches, RIA Novosti reports on Wednesday, February 26 .

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Lamberto Zannier, at which he called on the organization to condemn the growth of nationalist sentiments in western Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry press service reported on Wednesday, February 26.

On February 27 , the Bank of Russia set the official euro/ruble exchange rate at 49.1823 rubles, which is 31.69 kopecks higher than the previous day’s rate; the dollar exchange rate on Thursday rose by 22.03 kopecks and reached 35.7872 rubles. The cost of the bi-currency basket (€0.45 and $0.55) from February 27 was set by the Central Bank at 41.8150 rubles.

The issue with the rating of Internet companies and online stores, as well as the Forbes special project “Kings of Government Orders” - on sale from February 27 On a wave of pessimism It seems that pessimism and despondency have become the main mood of businessmen. The government is openly talking about a wave of pessimism, and economists and sociologists are warning about the same.

And about. President of Ukraine, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Alexander Turchynov dismissed Andrei Klyuev from the post of head of the presidential administration and appointed Oleg Rafalsky in his place, according to a decree published on Wednesday, February 26, on the website of the acting. president. Oleg Rafalsky has been deputy head of the presidential administration of Ukraine since April 2011. He is 54 years old. A historian by training.

On Wednesday, rallies were held in Crimean cities for and against the separation of the peninsula from Ukraine. The largest took place in Simferopol, where about 10,000 people came to the Crimean parliament On Wednesday, April 26, near the building of the Supreme Council of Crimea in Simferopol, clashes occurred between participants of the rally for joining Russia and Crimean Tatars. On this day, the Crimean parliament planned to consider the situation in Ukraine.

Gazprom and the Greek gas company DEPA signed an agreement to reduce gas prices by 15%, which will be retroactive and apply to supplies from July 1, 2013, the announced Greek Ministry of Environment, Energy and Change on Tuesday, February 25. climate.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan sent a note of protest to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the statements of the Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, leader of the LDPR Vladimir Zhirinovsky about the annexation of the republic to the territory of Russia.

Several people were injured in fights between participants in two rallies taking place on Wednesday near the building of the Supreme Council of Crimea in Simferopol. The victims' faces were bleeding, RIA Novosti reports . The number of rally participants is growing. Pro-Russian residents of Crimea, protesting against the new Ukrainian government, partially pushed the assembled Crimean Tatars out of the courtyard of the Crimean parliament.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming that the Russian Foreign Ministry statement released on February 24 contained “false and not based on proven facts” statements regarding threats in Ukraine to civil rights, in particular, representatives of national minorities and religious faiths.

VTB has suspended issuing new loans in Ukraine, but continues to service deposits in full, Andrei Kostin, head of Russia's second-largest bank, said on Wednesday. “We, indeed, today do not issue loans to enterprises, we do not issue new loans,” the Prime agency quotes him as saying. Kostin explained that VTB does not issue new loans to individuals in Ukraine. “In general, I gave the command not to issue new money,” the head of VTB emphasized.

Attempts to seize Orthodox shrines in Ukraine by force, destruction of churches and threats against priests are unacceptable and cause concern in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. “We call on all sensible forces in Ukraine to prevent further degradation of the situation and, before it is too late, to stop the country’s slide into confrontation on religious grounds,” says the Russian Foreign Ministry in its commentary on the situation in Ukraine.

The US Treasury Department has sent a warning to US banks to monitor potentially suspicious transfers of financial assets of Viktor Yanukovych, who was removed from the post of President of Ukraine by the Verkhovna Rada on February 22, or members of his inner circle, Reuters reported .