The tension around Ukraine slept slightly - but it is unlikely that in the near future it will pass After a sharp exacerbation at the weekend, the tension around Ukraine again slept a little - after today Vladimir Putin publicly discussed with Sergey Lavrov the continuation of negotiations with the United States, and with Sergey Shoigu - a quick completion of military exercises. The ruble on this news instantly strengthened, and the stock market slowed down.

Global inflation continues to grow: rising prices in the United States in January accelerated to the maximum in 1982 7.5% in annual terms. The leading world central banks, which last year believed in its temporary nature, sharply changed the rhetoric in recent weeks, reminding investors about the danger of growing bets. Bank of America assess the likelihood of raising a bet in the coming weeks (until the next meeting in March) above 25% (The Bell has a report).

Hello! This week our top story is the fever-pitch speculation about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine and why many Russian experts remain skeptical that a large-scale military conflict is imminent. We also look at the latest moves in the Kremlin’s bid to tighten control over the internet , how Russia’s ‘tax on the rich’ raised just $1.1 billion in its first year, a new media investigation into Sputnik V , and the 5-year jail sentence given to a 16-year-old boy accused of terrorism offences.

Fears Russia is about to launch an invasion of Ukraine reached fever-pitch this weekend as the current crisis approached a moment of truth. No-one can say with any certainty what will happen Wednesday — the date of an attack reportedly given by U.S. President Joe Biden — but most independent Russian experts remain unsure a large military conflict is imminent. The course of events is looking more and more like real preparations for war — and less like diplomatic games.

Global stock markets and bond yields on Monday Feb. 14 fell on the likelihood of a war in Europe after diplomacy in the Russian direction over the weekend did not bring visible success, writes The Wall Street Journal. After statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a meeting with President Putin, the picture improved significantly.

The Russian authorities are investing significant sums in order to extend state control over the internet, according to a media investigation published last week. At the same time, there are big changes underway at VK, the company that controls Russia’s biggest social network (Vkontakte). According to The Bell’s sources, the head of VK, Vladimir Kiriyenko (the son of an influential Kremlin official) wants to make VK the country’s most powerful media company.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a conversation with President Vladimir Putin, said that there is still a chance to agree with the United States and NATO on security guarantees. Lavrov said that the US response to Russia's proposals is divided into two parts. The first part, concerning three key security issues, in particular, non-expansion of NATO, non-deployment of strike weapons and a return to the 1997 configuration in Europe, cannot satisfy Russia, he stressed.

The Federal Tax Service released Thursday details about the first year of a ‘tax on the rich’. However, this is not a tax on billionaires. Since last year, income tax in Russia has risen to 15 percent (from a flat-rate 13 percent) for anyone earning more than 5 million rubles ($67,000) a year. The higher tax applies to all earnings above this threshold. Until this ‘tax on the rich’, a 13-percent flat rate of income tax had been in force since 2001.

An investigation published Thursday by independent media outlet Meduza (designated a ‘foreign agent’ by the Russian authorities) and The Bell looked in detail at Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V. Throughout vaccine development, pressure to beat international competitors seems to have forced error after error — despite the vaccine itself clearly being effective.

Sales of electric vehicles are growing rapidly around the world over the past decade, and the pandemic only accelerated the development of the market. The Bell figured out when, according to experts, electric cars will begin to dominate the automobile industry, why the status of the leader of the electric revolution holds China and what are the prospects of Russia to catch up with the “electrification” champions. This text is written specifically for Technology The Bell.

On February 15, two draft resolutions on the recognition of the unrecognized republics of Donbass will be sent to the State Duma Council: the first to the president, the second to the Foreign Ministry, to speed up the procedure, reported today.

The Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided not to hold the awards ceremony for the medalists of the figure skating team tournament at the Beijing Olympics due to the situation around Kamila Vaileva. This was reported on the IOC website.

Oil, approaching the $100 mark for the first time since 2014 on geopolitical risks, simultaneously reduces the prospects for global economic growth and accelerates inflation, writes Bloomberg. According to the agency’s economic model, an increase in oil prices to $100 by the end of February from $70 at the end of 2021 will increase inflation in the US and Europe by 0.5 percentage points. in the second half of the year.

The discussion of the low-carbon development plan for Russia in the government resulted in a discussion about the model of carbon regulation - quotas or taxes. Both of these threaten business losses. Details of the meeting with ministers and industries on February 11 under the leadership of First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov are given by RBC.

Tensions around Ukraine continue to grow - the current week could be decisive both politically and economically On Friday night in Moscow, the US authorities announced that they had concluded based on intelligence data that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin “at any time,” including during the Beijing Olympics. This was stated by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Assistant to President Joe Biden for National Security Jake Sullivan.