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☆ Russian Prosecutors Seek to Nationalise Seized Car Dealership, Court Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has filed a lawsuit in a St Petersburg court seeking to nationalise car dealership Rolf, the court said late on Monday, just weeks after Moscow put the asset under the state's temporary management. St Petersburg's Moskovskiy District Court said it had accepted a lawsuit filed by prosecutors, which seeks the seizure of all shares in Rolf, Russia's largest car dealership, and affiliated companies as "property obtained in violation of anti-corruption legislation". Russian businessman Sergei Petrov, who owns Rolf, has long been accused by Russian authorities of illegally moving money abroad, charges he denies, and has had a warrant issued for his arrest. In December 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin placed Rolf under temporary state management, a move the Kremlin said was driven solely by "economic expediency and compliance with current legislation". The court said prosecutors had asked the court to hand over all shares, should they be seized fully, to the state.

Persons: Rolf, Sergei Petrov, Vladimir Putin, Petrov, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Jason Neely Organizations: General's, Kremlin, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, St Petersburg, Moscow, Petersburg's Moskovskiy, Rolf, Russia's, Russian, Austria

☆ Ukraine conducts new attack on Russian railway deep in Siberia - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine's domestic spy agency has detonated explosives on a Russian railway line deep in Siberia, the second attack this week on military supply routes in the area, a Ukrainian source told Reuters on Friday. The train had been using a backup railway line after an attack on a nearby tunnel a day earlier caused trains to be diverted, the source said. The Ukrainian source, who said both operations were conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), gave a similar assessment of the damage, citing Russian Telegram channels. Russia's Trans-Siberian Railway is widely seen as more important for Russian freight transport than the Baikal-Amur Mainline. A Russian industry source who declined to be identified said the backup route was functioning and being used by trains carrying freight on Friday afternoon.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tom Balmforth, Gleb Stolyarov, Timothy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Security Service of Ukraine, Russian, Reuters, Russian Railways, Russia's, Railway, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Siberia, Ukrainian, Russia, Siberia's Buryatia, Mongolia, Russian, Buryatia, Moscow, Chertov, Russia's Baikal, Russia's, Baikal, Amur, Kyiv

MOSCOW, Dec 1 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree putting St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport under the temporary management of a Russian company, wresting control from investors from Germany, Qatar and other Gulf states. The airport's management company has 14 co-owners. The rights of foreign shareholders will pass to two different Russian entities. Russian shareholders will retain their rights. The decree stated that airport's foreign shareholders would be able to restore their rights to stakes in the new company if they apply and conclude corporate agreements that comply with Russian laws on foreign investment.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Fraport, VTB, Ramzan Kadyrov, Taimuraz, Carlsberg's, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Ilona Wissenbach, Gareth Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Petersburg's Pulkovo, Qatar Investment Authority, Russian Direct Investment Fund, Baring, Baltika Breweries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Germany, Qatar, St Petersburg, Abu Dhabi, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Ukraine's SBU targets rail line deep inside Russian Siberia - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Nov 30 (Reuters) - An operation conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detonated explosives on a railway line in Siberia that Russia uses for military supplies, a Ukrainian source told Reuters on Thursday. Such an attack, more than 4,000 km (2,480 miles) from Ukraine, would be a striking demonstration of Kyiv's ability to conduct operations deep inside Russia. Reuters could not independently verify the account or whether the rail route is used for military supplies. Russian sources acknowledged that a train had caught fire in the area, but made no mention of explosives. In a statement online, it said rail traffic had been rerouted, slightly increasing journey time, but that transport had not been interrupted.

Persons: Tom Balmforth, Gleb Stolyarov, William Maclean Organizations: Security Service of Ukraine, Reuters, Russia's, Russian Railways, Thomson Locations: Siberia, Russia, Ukrainian, Buryatia, Mongolia, Ukraine, Russian

☆ North Korean special economic zone poised for revival in new Russia trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

China accounted for 97% of North Korea's overall trade in 2022, according to South Korea's Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). But Russia resumed oil exports to North Korea in December 2022 and had exported 67,300 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea by April, United Nations data shows, the first such shipments reported since 2020. "Assuming North Korea and Russia's honeymoon period becomes a long one, North Korea could get Russian support on food, energy and infrastructure through Rason," Cho said. Those ships are suspected of military supplies from North Korea to Russia, the reports said. From Rason's port, North Korea has sent Russia an estimated 2,000 containers suspected of carrying artillery shells, and possibly short-range missiles, South Korean military officials have told reporters.

Persons: Rason, Jeong Eunlee, Jeong, Lee Chan, Cho Sung, Cho, Alexander Kozlov, Chung Songhak, Chung, Kim Jong Un, Kozlov, Kim Il Sung, Abraham Choi, Choi, Rason . Lee, Lee, Josh Smith, Gleb Stolyarov, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, South, Korea Institute for National Unification, Russian Federal Customs Service, South Korea's Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency, United, Teikyo University, North Korean, Korean, Kremlin, Korea Institute for Security, South Korea's National Institute for Unification Education, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Korean, Russia, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Rason, Korea, South Korea’s, Russian, South Korea's Korea, United Nations, Tokyo, South Korean, Pyongyang, Rason's, Soviet, North, South

Prior to the February 2022 invasion, Chinese cars accounted for less than 10% of the Russian market. Russia has jumped from 11th place to become China's largest export market for cars, reaching a value of $9.4 billion in January-October, Chinese customs data showed. Overall, monthly car sales in Russia are now more than double what they were a year ago, Autostat data showed, while separate data from federal statistics service Rosstat showed car production was nearly three times higher in September year-on-year, underlining the sector's partial recovery. 'UNSTABLE, SHAKY' MARKETSanctions against Russia contributed to lower car production and sales most notably in 2022, but also after Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Meanwhile, the rouble's slide to 100 against the dollar this year has made imports more expensive, depressing purchases of Chinese cars.

Persons: PPK, Sergei Udalov, Udalov, Russia's, Natalia Zubarevich, Zubarevich, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Zoey Zhang, Vineet Sachdev, Mike Collett, White, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Chery, Geely, HK, West shuns, Autostat, Russia, Western, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Moscow State University, Wages, Lada, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, Beijing, China, West shuns Russia, Western

☆ Private jets of Russian oligarchs keep flying but not to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Gleb Stolyarov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

A view shows the Boeing 737-700 BBJ (plane number RA-73890) private aircraft on the tarmac of the Pulkovo International Airport in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 14, 2023. The Boeing linked to Yevtushenkov was among at least 50 private jets re-registered under the Russian flag since the February 2022 invasion, according to previously unreported national aircraft registry data up to early August reviewed by Reuters. Several of the repatriated private jets were associated with prominent politicians and business figures, according to two senior Russian aviation industry sources, who were not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Because of sanctions, Russian planes are prohibited from entering the 27-country European Union, where Russia's oligarchs previously flew frequently for business and leisure and where many private jets linked to them were registered before the war, tail numbers show. VEB, Uralkali and Mazepin did not respond to requests for comment on the registration of the jets in Russia.

Persons: Luba, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, Yevtushenkov, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Mazepin, Putin, Igor Shuvalov, Mazepin, Gleb Stolyarov, Mike Collett, White, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Boeing, Pulkovo, REUTERS, Soviet, Reuters, Sistema, Ministry, Transport, JETS, Russian, Union, Bombardier Challenger, Uralkali, Bombardier, VEB.RF, VEB, EU, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Riviera, Belarus, oligarch, Ukraine, Turkey, Dubai, China, Russian, Maldives, Seychelles, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Yevtushenkov, United Kingdom, Aruba, of, Uralkali, UAE, Prague, Bishkek, States, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Latvia, Britain, Oman, Soviet

☆ Moscow tells officials to buy Russian Ladas, Chinese cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Alexey Malgavko//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 20 (Reuters) - Russia's government on Friday published a list of domestically-produced cars that state officials should buy, all either Russian or Chinese brands, highlighting Beijing's infiltration of Russia's automobile industry since the Ukraine war. As the West shuns Russia, Russia has shunned Western corporations. The Russian cars listed were five Lada models, produced by Russia's largest carmaker Avtovaz, as well as the UAZ, Aurus and Moskvich brands, and Evolute electric cars. The Moskvich, a revived Soviet-era car, is emblematic of China's growing sway over Russia's car industry. Five models of Chinese carmaker Haval, which has been producing cars at its plant in the Tula region, 200 kilometres from Moscow, since 2019, were listed.

Persons: VAZ, Alexey Malgavko, Vladimir Putin, Sehol, Haval, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Lada, REUTERS, Renault, Nissan, West shuns, Kommersant, Apple, Industry and Trade Ministry, Russia's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Soviet, Izhevsk, Russia, Ukraine, West shuns Russia, Moscow, Tula

STOCKHOLM/HELSINKI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A Baltic Sea telecom cable connecting Sweden and Estonia was damaged at roughly the same time as a Finnish-Estonian pipeline and cable were earlier this month, but remains operational, Sweden's civil defence minister said on Tuesday. The damage to the Swedish-Estonian cable was sustained outside the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Sweden, the country's civil defence minister, Carl-Oskar Bohlin said, and the cable had continued to function since then. VESSELS IN AREAEurope and NATO have become increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure around and under the Baltic Sea. The latest incidents follow explosions in September 2022 that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea and cut Europe's supply of Russian gas. Finland said on Oct. 8 that the Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia had been damaged in what may have been a deliberate act.

Persons: Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Arelion, Ewa Skoog Haslum, NBI, Atomflot, Ulf Kristersson, Nerijus Adomaitis, Niklas Pollard, Simon Johnson, Marie, Gleb Stolyarov, Andrew Gray, Gwladys, Bill Berkrot, Mark Potter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Estonian Economic Affairs, Communications Ministry, NATO, Reuters, National Bureau of Investigation, NewNew Shipping, Sweden's, Joint Expeditionary Force, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, HELSINKI, Sweden, Estonia, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Swedish, Finland, Hiiumaa, NATO, Baltic, Europe, Rosatom, Oslo, Stockholm, Brussels

☆ Russian tech firm Astra raises $36 mln in Moscow IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian share listings have been thin on the ground since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, and are generally characterised by small volumes and dependent on Russian investors after an exodus of Western capital. Astra dominates Russia's operating system (OS) market with its Astra Linux software. Astra said it set the price at 333 roubles per share, corresponding to a market value of 69.9 billion roubles. "The IPO allowed us to launch a long-term motivation programme for our employees," CEO Ilya Sivtsev said in a statement. Trading under the ASTR ticker on the Moscow Exchange (MOEX.MM) should begin later on Friday.

Persons: Ilya Sivtsev, Gleb Stolyarov, Olga Popova, Alexander Marrow, David Evans, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Astra, Astra Linux, Astra Group, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Russian airline aims for patched up Airbus to take off from field where it landed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Gleb Stolyarov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Airbus A320 which had been flying from Sochi to Omsk with 167 people on board, landed safely in the field in western Siberia's Novosibirsk region on Sept. 12. Ural Airlines said a hydraulics fault was to blame. "According to the preliminary technical assessment of specialists, the aircraft is in good condition," Ural Airlines said in a statement. "Several options are being considered for the plane taking off from the field," Ural said, such as the plane's seats being removed to make the aircraft lighter. Ural Airlines did not respond to Reuters' questions about any contacts with Airbus, repair costs or any risks to its plan.

Persons: Alexey Malgavko, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Mark Potter Organizations: Airbus, Ural, REUTERS, Ural Airlines, West, Boeing, Reuters, CFM International, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Omsk, Kamenka, Novosibirsk, Russia, Ural, Siberia, Ukraine, Siberia's Novosibirsk, Moscow

☆ Russian car sales jump in September as Chinese brands expand market share
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Workers walk past new Chinese cars unloaded from a ship at a commercial port in Vladivostok, Russia August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tatiana Meel Acquire Licensing RightsOct 4 (Reuters) - Car sales in Russia jumped by 148.6% year-on-year in September, continuing to rebound from a huge slump in 2022, analytical agency Autostat said on Wednesday, with Chinese brands expanding their market share. Chinese firms are also increasing their sales in Russia with vehicle assembly at factories vacated by the likes of Renault and Nissan, Reuters has found. Avtovaz raised its forecast for passenger car and light commercial vehicle sales in the Russian market in 2023 to 1 million last week, from its previous estimate of 875,000. Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov and Alexander Marrow Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tatiana Meel, Autostat, PPK, carmaker, Avtovaz, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Mark Potter Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, Lada, Chery, Geely, HK, Renault, Nissan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vladivostok, Russia, Ukraine, Western

SummaryCompanies This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. MOSCOW, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Russian technology company Astra plans to open the books for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Moscow Exchange on Thursday, two financial market sources told Reuters, with trading due to start on Oct. 13. Sberbank, Gazprombank, Alfa Bank and Start Capital were chosen as organisers of the offering, said the sources, who asked not to be named because the information is private. Astra dominates Russia's operating system (OS) market with its Astra Linux software. ($1 = 98.3250 roubles)Reporting by Olga Popova and Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark TrevelyanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olga Popova, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Astra, Moscow, Alfa Bank, Start, Astra Group, Astra Linux, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, Moscow

MOSCOW, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Russian technology company Astra plans to open the books for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Moscow Exchange on Thursday, two financial market sources told Reuters, with trading due to start on Oct. 13. Astra's listing, which is expected to result in a free float of about 5%, could breathe some life into Russia's moribund equity capital markets, which have been starved of deals since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine in February 2022, prompting sanctions and the departure of Western bankers and lawyers. Reporting by Olga Popova and Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark TrevelyanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olga Popova, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Astra, Moscow, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

By last year, with sanctions elsewhere tightening, Russia was buying more than a quarter of Japan's used-car exports for an average price of almost $8,200. That was more than double the price in 2020, when Russia took about 15% of Japan's used-car exports. Those sales had been on track to top $1.9 billion for all of 2023 before Japan imposed its own tougher sanctions, trade data show. A system of mandatory inspections pushes the cost of maintaining used cars higher for customers in Japan. Battery recycling firm 4R Energy has seen a "significant" tailwind from declining used-car prices, including the Nissan Leaf, said chief executive Yutaka Horie.

Persons: Sergei Karpukhin, Japan's, we've, Olesya Alekseeva, Takanori Kikuchi, Wataru Nishiwaki, Yutaka Horie, Daniel Leussink, Gleb Stolyarov, Kevin Krolicki, Sonali Paul Organizations: Toyota, REUTERS, Rights, SV Alliance, Japan's Ministry, Economy, Trade, Industry, Honda, Energy, Nissan, Sumitomo, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Africa, Toyama, Russia's Vladivostok, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Niigata prefecture

Three producers listed in the customs data confirmed to Reuters they had shipped coal from the two regions to Turkey during that period. Reuters was unable to find any information in customs data about deliveries of coal produced in the DNR to Turkey or other countries in 2022. Customs data shows Nedra-06 made two shipments of coal to Turkey totalling 1,600 tonnes in May and June. The buyers were Belize-based Brig Management LTD and Green Rabbit LTD of Hong Kong, the customs data showed. Coal bought at Russian ports by Brig Management LTD and Green Rabbit LTD was taken to Turkey, the data showed.

Persons: Vitaliy Khotsenko, Adzhmal, Vostokugol, Anton Nadeyev, Nadeyev, I'm, Denis Karashchuk, Karashchuk, Filipp Lebedev, Gleb Stolyarov, Humeyra Pamuk, Tom Balmforth, Julia Payne, Jose Sanchez, Mike Collett, White, Daniel Flynn Organizations: NATO, Reuters, European, British Virgin Islands, Donetsk People's Republic, Russia's Ministry of Energy, Federal Customs Service, Luhansk People's Republics, European Union, United, Ukraine, U.S . State Department, UN, Assembly, Florance, Management, Hong, Brig Management, Rabbit, Belize Companies, Corporate Affairs, Green Rabbit, Coal, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Turkey Ankara, Russia, Turkey, Donetsk, Luhansk, United States, European Union, Moscow . Washington, Moscow, Ankara, Ukrainian, Hong Kong, UAE, Belize, British Virgin, East, Africa, Russian, Rostov, Novorossiisk, Turkey . U.S, Antratsyt, Yasynuvata, Tbilisi, Washington, Kyiv, Brussels

Three producers listed in the customs data confirmed to Reuters they had shipped coal from the two regions to Turkey during that period. Turkey, a major coal consumer and importer, is bucking the global trend by increasing coal's share in electricity generation. Customs data shows Nedra-06 made two shipments of coal to Turkey totalling 1,600 tonnes in May and June. The buyers were Belize-based Brig Management LTD and Green Rabbit LTD of Hong Kong, the customs data showed. Coal bought at Russian ports by Brig Management LTD and Green Rabbit LTD was taken to Turkey, the data showed.

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Turkish companies and a Turkish national, accusing them of helping Russia evade sanctions and supporting Moscow in its war against Ukraine. The move is part of a bigger package of measures hitting Russia with sanctions on more than 150 targets, including the country's largest carmaker. The U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on Denkar Ship Construction for providing ship repair services to previously designated vessels of a company connected to the Russian Defense Ministry. The U.S. also imposed sanctions on a major local copper producer - Russian Copper Company. The Treasury slapped sanctions on Finland-based logistics firms Siberica Oy and Luminor Oy, accusing them of sending a wide variety of electronics into Russia.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Jonathan Ernst, reconvenes, Wally Adeyemo, we've, Sanayi, Denkar, Ilker Dogruyol, Dogruyol, Tayyip Erdogan, Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis, Polina Devitt, Gleb Stolyarov, Don Durfee, Alexandra Hudson, William Maclean, Paul Simao Organizations: Cancer, White, REUTERS, Rights, Turkish, Ukraine, Reuters, NATO, Treasury, . Treasury Department, U.S . State Department, Denkar, Russian Defense Ministry, State Department, ID Ship Agency, GAZ Group, Russian Copper Company, Siberica, Luminor, U.S, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, United, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Russia, Moscow, Turkey, Washington, Ankara, Sweden, United States, Ukraine, Sea, Turkish, U.S, Finland, Kyiv, Hungary, London

☆ Lessor AerCap agrees settlement over Aeroflot jets stranded in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Conor Humphries | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Before last year's invasion of Ukraine, Russia was a major market for aircraft lessors, which bought jets from Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) and leased them to Russian airlines. Aeroflot said in a statement that ownership of 18 aircraft and five engines had transferred to NSK following settlement with AerCap. AerCap filed a $3.5 billion London lawsuit last year against AIG and Lloyd's over 141 aircraft and 29 aircraft engines it owned that were on lease to Russian airlines. AerCap said settlement discussions were ongoing with respect to claims under the insurance policies of several other Russian airlines. AerCap in March said it had been approached by Russian airlines and their insurance companies about possible settlements for the stranded planes.

Persons: BOE, Denis Balibouse, AerCap, lessors, Conor Humphries, Gleb Stolyarov, Kirstin Ridley, Jason Neely, David Evans, Peter Graff Organizations: Airbus, Russian, Aeroflot, REUTERS, DUBLIN, NSK, Rossiya, Boeing, U.S . Treasury, Commerce, AIG, SMBC Aviation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine, Ireland, Moscow, NSK, AerCap, EU

☆ Ex-manager at Russian car dealer gets 8-1/2 years for sending money abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A former senior manager at the Russian car dealership Rolf was sentenced on Friday to 8-1/2 years in prison for participating in a deal considered to constitute an illegal transfer of funds abroad, a Moscow court said. Anatoly Kairo, Rolf's director of business development, was found to have sent large sums abroad using forged documents as part of an organised group, the Cheremushki district court said. Russian media said Kairo, who was taken into custody in the courtroom on Friday, was a Ukrainian citizen. In 2021, Rolf, at that time Russia's largest car dealership, was bought by its rival Klyuchavto. Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov Editing by Kevin Liffey and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rolf, Anatoly Kairo, Sergei Petrov, Petrov, Kairo, Gleb Stolyarov, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff Organizations: Russian Investigative, Austrian, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Moscow, Cheremushki, Russia, Cypriot, Austrian, Austria, Ukrainian

☆ Second Russian plane reportedly linked to Prigozhin had no connection to Wagner group, operator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial near former PMC Wagner Centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A second plane linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin by some Russian media has no connection to the mercenary group and never has had, the CEO of the aircraft operator company told Reuters. Russia's aviation authority has said Prigozhin was on board a private Embraer jet which crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow with no survivors. But the jet operator, Russian company Jetica LLC, denied any such link. "Neither the plane itself nor its passengers are related to Wagner and never have been," Jetica's CEO Sergey Trifonov told Reuters.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anton Vaganov, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Sergey Trifonov, Trifonov, Gleb Stolyarov, Gareth Jones Organizations: PMC Wagner, in, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Embraer, Jetica, Thomson Locations: in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Grey, St . Petersburg

☆ Second plane had no connection to Wagner group, operator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial near former PMC Wagner Centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A second plane linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin by some Russian media has no connection to the mercenary group and never has had, the CEO of the aircraft operator company told Reuters. But the jet operator, Russian company Jetica LLC, denied any such link. "Neither the plane itself nor its passengers are related to Wagner and never have been," Jetica's CEO Sergey Trifonov told Reuters. This plane had not been rented out, Trifonov said, though he declined to say who its owner was.

Oleg Panteleev, head of the AviaPort aviation think-tank in Moscow, said Russian airlines have "solved the problem" of operating under Western sanctions. When those firms stopped providing services – Lufthansa Technik said it suspended sales to Russia from Feb. 28, 2022 – Russian airlines turned to a pool of far smaller suppliers. Ivan Melnicov, chief executive of Air Rock and another aircraft parts distributor in Moldova called Aerostage Services, denied selling products to Russia. Most of the shipments listed in Russian customs records as having been made by Air Rock and Aerostage took circuitous routes, transiting through the UAE or Kyrgyzstan. He said Skyparts had procured one of the Northrop Grumman parts from a U.S. supplier but denied ever sending it to Russia.

Persons: Paul Hanna, Northrop, Oleg Panteleev, Kirill Skuratov, Northrop Grumman, Ivan Melnicov, Melnicov, Aerostage, Kafolati Komil, Mahmadbashir Yakubov, Kafolati, Skyparts FZCO, Lisa Barrington, Saeed Abdulloev, Skyparts, Karine Bukrey, Ramses Turizm, Bukrey's, Ramazan, Bukrey, Akpinar, Nordwind, Valery Pashaev, Pashaev, Maurice Tamman, David Clarke, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Ural Airlines Airbus, Palma de Mallorca, REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Northrop Grumman, Central Asia, Airbus, Boeing, Ural Airlines, Northrop, United Arab Emirates, Western, Reuters, of Commerce, European Union, Russian, S7 Airlines, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Aeroflot, Lufthansa Technik, Engineering, Rock Solutions, Air Rock, Aerostage Services, Airlines, UAE, Istikloliyat, Skyparts, Nordwind Airlines, Thomson Locations: Palma de, Spain, Russian, Yekaterinburg, U.S, Moscow, Russia, Central, Ukraine, Tajikistan, UAE, Turkey, China, Kyrgyzstan, Swiss, Germany, Moldova, Air, Moldovan, Saudi Arabia, Komilchon, Ural, Dubai, United Arab, Turkish, Antalya, Nusret, Technic, New York

The need to reintroduce stringent capital controls comes as Russian authorities grapple with a sharply weakening rouble, which tumbled past 100 to the dollar on Monday. One source at an exporting firm said the discussions concerned the forced conversion of up to 90% of exporters' revenues. Exporters who fail to return revenues to Russia could lose government support measures, too. One Russian banking source told Reuters that about $39 billion is stuck in Indian banks, which oil companies are unable to return to Russia. The high-level source said a minimal level of revenues was held in rupees, with even less in roubles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Elena Fabrichnayaand Anastasia Lyrchikova, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, RBC, FX, Central Bank Governor, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russia's, Moscow, India, Tbilisi

"I said that this should be absolutely excluded and all officials of the country should drive domestic cars," Putin said, telling officials they should strive to develop domestic brands, domestic cars, and other domestic products. Chinese carmakers are seizing market share in Russia, capitalising on the departure of Western players, auto industry data shows. Russia's Lada holds the number one spot in the domestic market, with its share for January-June at 32.6%, up from 21.6% last year. Lada's share slipped slightly in July year on year, as Chinese carmakers' sales continued rising rapidly, the data showed. Chinese brands, such as Haval (601633.SS), Chery and Geely (0175.HK), accounted for the next six spots in terms of market share in July.

Persons: VAZ, Alexey Malgavko, Vladimir Putin, PPK, Putin, capitalising, Russia's Lada, Lada's, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Mark Potter Organizations: Lada, REUTERS, Mercedes, Benz, Renault, Nissan, Reuters, Chery, Geely, HK, Thomson Locations: Soviet, Izhevsk, Russia, Ukraine, Crimean, Kyiv, Moscow, Crimea

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