The creation of a committee for the protection of government officials has been announced in Moscow. This structure was introduced to journalists by former Supreme Council deputy Ilya Konstantinov, head of the Garden Ring movement Natalya Ivanova, and leader of the Metal Corrosion group Sergei Troitsky (admirers of his talent call the musician “Spider”).

The Supreme Court of Dagestan today sentenced Chechen terrorist Salman Raduev to life imprisonment to be served in a special regime correctional colony. The court found S. Raduev guilty of all charges. Turpal-Ali Atgireev was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Khusein Gaisumov - 8 years and Aslanbek Alkhazurov - 5 years in prison. As an RBC correspondent reports, Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Vladimir Ustinov demanded that S. Raduev be sentenced to life imprisonment, T.

On Christmas Day, December 25, there will be no trading at the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) in London and the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) in New York. There was no trading session on NYMEX on December 24, and the session on IPE lasted less than three hours and ended with a slight technical decline in quotes.

On December 24, the United Nations General Assembly approved a UN budget of $2.63 billion for the next two years - 2002 and 2003. According to the UN News Center, the document, which takes into account all the organization’s expenses, with the exception of the costs of peacekeeping operations, was adopted unanimously at the 56th session of the General Assembly.

Wages in Moscow next year will increase by an average of 25%. Such indicators are included in the Moscow government program for 2002, discussed at today's meeting of the city administration.

In 2002, housing prices in Moscow may rise by 17% compared to 2001, thereby reaching pre-crisis levels. Experts from the Russian Guild of Realtors (RGR) came to this conclusion. As RGR vice-president Konstantin Aprelev said at a press conference in Moscow, compared with the maximum average level of housing prices recorded in Moscow over the past 4 years, by the end of 2001 prices had decreased by 39%.

The Russian economy defaulted in 2002. not a threat. This was stated today by Deputy Prime Minister of the Government, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Alexei Kudrin, speaking in the “Hero of the Day” program on NTV. In his opinion, the past year indicates the strengthening of the Russian economy.

The Government of the Chechen Republic signed an agreement with the management of Rosgosstrakh OJSC on the resumption of work of the company's divisions in Chechnya. Already today, insurers are ready to begin providing services to citizens who entered into insurance contracts before 1992. As the Ministry of Finance of Chechnya reported, at the first stage 22 representatives of Rosgosstrakh will work in the republic.

Turkey is ready to train the newly formed Afghan army and police, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said following his negotiations with the head of the interim Afghan government, Hamid Karzai. The latter is in Ankara on an official visit, the purpose of which is to discuss with the Turkish leadership the details of cooperation between the two countries. Official Ankara traditionally supports Afghanistan. Türkiye is currently supplying Kabul with medicines and books for schools.

A group of Russians who won a Green Card, but were not given the opportunity to leave for permanent residence in the United States, filed a lawsuit in an American court against the US State Department and the US Embassy in Moscow.

The project for lifting the first compartment of the Kursk nuclear submarine will be finally approved in mid-January, and the operation to lift this part of the submarine from the bottom of the Barents Sea should take place in the summer of 2002. Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Ilya Klebanov said this in an exclusive interview with RBC.

As you know, yesterday Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a kind of nationwide press conference, answering many questions from ordinary Russians of different ages and fields of activity. One of the interesting questions was asked by a woman from the Kostroma region: “Vladimir Vladimirovich, you constantly communicate with the people, with presidents, you are always in sight, every day you are on flights. Maybe you have a double, and if not , then when do you rest?

The Pacific Fleet Court found military journalist Grigory Pasko guilty of high treason in the form of espionage and sentenced him to 4 years in prison to be served in a maximum security colony. The convict was taken into custody in the courtroom immediately after the verdict was pronounced.

In an interview with the BBC, Mikhail Gorbachev said that Yeltsin "is a strange man, a trickster, a cunning man, filled with a thirst for power. Not a single Russian tsar allowed himself to do what Yeltsin did." Mikhail Gorbachev also said that even after he left the post of President of the USSR, his successor controlled him. According to Gorbachev, intelligence officers tapped his phones and forbade ambassadors from meeting with him during trips abroad. Excerpts from this interview with M.

After noon on Tuesday, overnight ruble loan rates on the interbank market were still at an extremely high level. As of 13:30 for banks of the “first” and “second” levels they amounted to about 50% and 60%, respectively. Nevertheless, many dealers believe that it is quite possible for a significant improvement in the situation with ruble liquidity by the end of today’s operating day.