North Korea continues to support Russia almost a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kim Yo-Jong, sister of the country's leader Kim Jong-un and a senior figure in the country’s ruling Workers’ Party, promised last month that Pyongyang would always “stand in the same trench as the Russian army.” Could we call North Korea an ally of Russia? How is North Korea’s media reporting the war? Is it true that North Korean workers are being sent to occupied eastern Ukraine?

The Russian authorities continue their efforts to balance the books: after demanding funds from big business , they are now looking at oil companies. In particular, the Finance Ministry is changing the way it calculates taxes for oil companies. Instead of relying on prices from energy agency Argus, which currently shows a $40 discount on Russia’s Urals blend compared to benchmark Brent, the ministry will soon use its own formula.

International isolation is making life tough for Russian businesses that earn money from content — movies, games and books. As a result of refusals by Western companies to license their content for Russia amid the war in Ukraine, movie theaters are either swapping Hollywood releases for Russian titles or coming up with ways to show Western hits without technically committing piracy.

Hello! This week our top story is about how Russian publishers are to issue “summaries” instead of Western non-fiction books to which they don’t have the rights. We also look at the Finance Ministry’s plans to squeeze more cash out of Russian oil companies and whether Russia and North Korea’s alliance is anything more than situational .

Biden paid a short visit to Kyiv. Why did he come, what does this mean for Ukraine and how can the Kremlin respond 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+ Joe Biden paid a short visit to Kyiv on Monday. There was little practical meaning in it, but it is difficult to overestimate the symbolism of this trip.

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+ New details of the tenth package of European sanctions, which is still being discussed, leads EUobserver. The publication found out which of the individuals and legal entities can fall under personal sanctions. In particular, according to EUobserver, Tatyana Moskalkova and Ingosstrakh will be on the list. Who else will be sanctioned?

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+ Quotes of the Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International on Monday fell by almost 9% by 15:30 Moscow time on the news that OFAC, the department of the US Treasury dealing with sanctions, sent a request to the bank in connection with Russia and Ukraine.

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+ Joe Biden arrived in Kyiv four days before the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine and on the eve of Vladimir Putin's message to the Federal Assembly. The visit was not announced in advance, it was only known that Biden would visit Poland on February 20-22.

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+ A one-time payment from a business will be taxable, and the entire large non-oil and gas business will fall under it about how the idea of ​​a one-time payment from companies changed during discussions in the government RBC learned .

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+ Operational data on the execution of the Russian budget by February 16 pointed not just to a faster growth in spending, but to its acceleration by January, drew the attention of the MMI economic channel.

A one-time payment from a business will be taxable, and the entire large non-oil and gas business will fall under it 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+ how the idea of ​​a one-time payment from companies changed during discussions in the government RBC found out .

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+ 18:23 Rosstat estimated the fall in GDP at the end of last year at 2.1%. This is less than estimated by the Central Bank (-2.5%) and predicted by the Ministry of Economic Development (-2.9%).