DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

[1/4] Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz reacts during a campaign rally for her new left-wing umbrella party Sumar in the southern district of Orcasitas, Madrid, Spain, June 24, 2023. POPE'S BLESSINGOnce a Communist, Diaz now shies away from labelling herself as such or appealing solely to left-wing voters, although she rarely misses an opportunity to criticise capitalism. "We need better wages, especially in a country where the causes of inflation are tremendous corporate margins," she said. Two days later, Diaz registered Sumar, which first surfaced as a loose movement to unite the left in 2022, as a potential kingmaker bloc to run in the election. Reporting by Belén Carreño and Elena Rodríguez in Madrid; editing by Andrei Khalip and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yolanda Diaz, Isabel Infantes, Pedro Sanchez, Diaz, Sanchez, Vox, Sanchez's, Shostakovich, Billie Eilish, Pope Francis, Pope, Podemos, Belén Carreño, Elena Rodríguez, Andrei Khalip, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Spanish Labour, REUTERS, Socialists, Reuters, Socialist, People's Party, Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, Communist, Spanish Catholic Church, Thomson Locations: Orcasitas, Madrid, Spain, MADRID, Sanchez's, Ukraine

☆ Russian ruble extends freefall as US weighs new weapon for Ukraine amid Putin regime's disarray
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian ruble extended its slide, dipping to a 87.75-per-dollar level on Thursday. The mutiny may lead the US to consider supplying Ukraine with a new long-range missile. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. The US is now considering arming Ukraine with the Army Tactical Missile System after previously opposing it, sources told the Wall Street Journal. The ATACMS long-range missile would provide Kyiv with the ability to strike Russian targets farther beyond the frontlines, making on-the-ground support more challenging.

Persons: Wagner, —, Andrei Belousov, Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Service, Moscow Saturday, Army Tactical Missile System, Wall Street, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Russian

☆ Ready, try to stay steady, go! Men in high heels race at Madrid Pride
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Contestants take part in the annual race on high heels during Pride celebrations in the quarter of Chueca in Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Juan MedinaMADRID, June 29 (Reuters) - Dozens of people sporting high heels, most of them men, raced down a cobbled street in the centre of the Spanish capital on Thursday as part of Madrid Pride, one of the world's largest LGBT celebrations. It was the 24th edition of the annual race in Chueca, a gay-friendly neighbourhood, which draws competitors from abroad and is one of the most eagerly awaited parts of the festival of the LGBT community. Heels must be at least 10 cm (4 inches) high, and the shoes are measured before the race. Madrid Pride will culminate in a parade in the city centre on Saturday.

Persons: Juan Medina MADRID, Silvio Catellanos, Marco Trujillo, Andrei Khalip, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Chueca, Madrid, Spain

☆ Russia's Prigozhin was told he would no longer fight in Ukraine -lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, June 29 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was told that his Wagner group would no longer fight in Ukraine as he had refused to sign contracts to bring his mercenaries under the sway of the defence ministry, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday. "As you know, a few days before the attempted mutiny, the defence ministry said that all formations performing combat tasks must sign contracts with the defence ministry," said Kartapolov. Prigozhin said on June 11 that his Wagner fighters would not sign any contract with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, adding that Shoigu was unable to manage military units. Kartapolov said that after Prigozhin's refusal to sign the contracts he had been told that his mercenaries would no longer fight in Ukraine and thus would not receive state money. As a result, the lawmaker said, Prigozhin, committed treason due to "exorbitant ambitions", money and what he cast as an "excited state".

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Andrei Kartapolov, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Kartapolov, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones Organizations: Defence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions about Surovikin to the defence ministry, which has so far made no statement about him. Asked by reporters if the Kremlin could clarify the situation with Surovikin, Peskov said: "No, unfortunately not. "So I recommend that you contact the defence ministry; this is its prerogative." Questions about "structural units within the ministry," Peskov said, should be addressed to the defence ministry. The Kremlin said Putin also chaired a meeting about the development of tourism in the region.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Surovikin, Dmitry, Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia's, PUTIN, Alexander Lukashenko, Andrei Kartapolov, Kartapolov, Guy Faulconbridge, Alexander Marrow, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: General Staff, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: St Petersburg MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russian, Soviet, Kala, Moscow, St Petersburg, Russia, Belarus, Concord

REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoSummary Fears of civil war rose in world's biggest nuclear powerMercenaries posed biggest threat to Putin in 23-year rule'Anyone with anything to lose was extremely tense' -sourceThe elite wonder: What's next for Russia? One fear was that Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group, if he entered Moscow, would try to take over the economy, triggering yet another redistribution of ownership in Russia, the world's biggest supplier of natural resources. The source spoke on condition of anonymity due to the danger of speaking publicly in contemporary Russia. Russians started to withdraw significant amounts of roubles and seek foreign currency in 15 regions across Russia. But within the elite, there is now a fear that Putin will seek to assert his position and remove those he felt did not profess their loyalty with enough ardour.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Putin, What's, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Prigozhin's, Mikhail Gorbachev, Andrei Belousov, Dmitry Gusev, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Russia's, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Viktor Zolotov, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Reuters, Kremlin, KGB, Bolshevik, Air, Jets, General Staff, National Guard, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, MOSCOW, Moscow, Russian, Soviet, Ukraine, Belgrade, Istanbul, Dubai, Sochi, Belarus, Belarusian, Zolotov

But now, as Mr. Putin seeks to project an image of restored stability and control, he has been putting his defense minister on display, even if Mr. Shoigu has not addressed the public or even been heard speaking. Mr. Shoigu was also present on Monday as Mr. Putin convened a meeting of his top security chiefs. On Tuesday, as Mr. Putin praised his security forces in a grandly choreographed speech, Mr. Shoigu was again present, wearing his military uniform. Mr. Shoigu, who was a very popular minister of emergency situations before becoming defense minister in 2012, has had a long and friendly relationship with Mr. Putin. Mr. Putin may have kept both men in charge as part of his decades-long efforts to place the sprawling Russian military more under his control.

Persons: Vladimir V, Sergei K, Shoigu, Valery V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Wagner, ” Mr, Gerasimov, Mr, Prigozhin, Ramzan Kadyrov, —, ”, ” Andrei Guryulov, Aleksandr Dugin, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Dugin, Long, General Gerasimov, It’s, Andrei Soldatov, Putin “, ” Oleg Matsnev Organizations: Putin, Cuban, National Defense Control Center of Russia, Russian military’s Zvezda, United, Defense Ministry, General Staff Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Cuba, Russian, Ukrainian, Lyman, Chechnya, United Russia, Belarus

[1/5] A police officer cuts marijuana plants in growing process at underground room of a house during a marijuana raid operation in Mataro, near Barcelona, Spain April 27, 2023. Consumption of marijuana and its high-potency derivatives is also booming in Barcelona itself, including in private clubs. Their model, however, faces uncertainty as the new Barcelona mayor's top security official said in March he wanted to ban cannabis clubs. In 2017, Catalonia fully legalised the clubs, fuelling their proliferation, but courts later overturned the move for procedural reasons. But many clubs, which are often barely recognisable from outside, do not stick to the rules because they are voluntary, complained Eric Asensio, head of the Catalan federation of cannabis clubs.

Persons: Pol, Antoni Salleras, Salleras, Alexis Goosdeel, Bernardo Soriano, Eric Asensio, Horaci Garcia, Joan Faus, Catarina Demony, Aislinn Laing, Andrei Khalip, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, Barcelona, BARCELONA, Reuters, Cannabis, Thomson Locations: Mataro, Barcelona, Spain, Spanish, Catalonia, Americas, Europe, Morocco, Latin America, Worth, Geneva, Amsterdam, EU, France, Catalan, Lisbon

☆ Spain set to impose new restrictions on ride-hailing drivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Inti Landauro | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, June 27 (Reuters) - The Spanish government is set to impose new restrictions on drivers working with ride-hailing apps such as Uber (UBER.N) after the European Union's top court overturned a set of local curbs in Barcelona, a draft document seen by Reuters showed. The court said such restrictions could be legal if they did not discriminate between the different service providers. The decision was welcomed by ride-hailing drivers and the app platforms operating in Spain, such as Uber, Bolt and local rival Cabify, as a precedent that institutionalises them as legitimate public transport operators. The enforcement of the restrictions late last year had pushed many self-employed drivers and fleet owners in Barcelona out of business. Reporting by Inti Landauro, additional reporting by Belen Carreno; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bolt, Inti Landauro, Belen Carreno, Andrei Khalip, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Justice, European Union, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Barcelona, Spain

☆ Russia's near-mutiny just cratered its currency against the dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The near-mutiny in Russia this weekend had some unexpected consequences for currencies — more on that below. And yet — the Russian ruble still plunged 3% to a 15-month low on Monday, trading at one point near 87 per dollar. The Kremlin said there was a huge uptick in foreign currency demand across 15 regions in Russia, per Reuters. During the mutiny, Russian banks had cut their ruble exchange rates to over 100 per dollar, though they've since eased prices. What's your outlook for the Russian ruble by year-end?

Persons: Phil Rosen, You'll, Vladimir Putin, GAVRIIL, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Wagner, Prigozhin, Andrei Belousov, Putin hasn't, Spencer Platt, Morgan Stanley, Billionaire Ron Baron, Warren, there's, Goldman Sachs, Elon, Max Adams, Hallam Bullock Organizations: SPUTNIK, Getty, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Manchester United, Walgreens, Alliance Inc, Billionaire, Dow, Harvard, Bank of America, Elon Musk's Locations: New York, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, —, Voronezh, Rostov, Lipetsk, London

☆ After Prigozhin’s Uprising, Yesterday’s Putin Is Gone - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Andrei Kolesnikov | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Putin today is not who he was last week. Is Mr. Putin really the all-powerful, czar-like figure they thought he was? Mr. Prigozhin, while becoming a relatively popular figure among certain groups, was never a serious or convincing candidate as a national leader. First, he said that to defeat the enemy in Ukraine, Russians should tighten their belts and be ready to live like North Koreans. Replace Mr. Putin, his teacher in the profession of gaining power?

Persons: Putin, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Putin’s, Aleksandr Lukashenko of, Wagner Locations: Ukraine, North Koreans, Russia, Moscow, Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, Russian

☆ Here’s a list of people Putin is suspected of having killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jeremy Wilson | Taylor Ardrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Putin, a former lieutenant colonel of the KGB and ex-head of the FSB, has been suspected of assassinating critics. Here's a list of people who have been critical of Putin and the Russian president is suspected of assassinating:Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia BaburovaHuman-rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov represented Politkovskaya and other journalists who had been critical of Putin. Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesAnna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist who was critical of Putin. He was killed in 2004 in a drive-by shooting in an apparent contract killing, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Persons: Putin, Here's, —, Pavel Antov, Vyacheslav Kartukhin, Vladimir Putin, Ravil, MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV, Ravil Maganov, Lukoil, Dan Rapoport, Mikhail Lesin, Lesin, Boris Nemtsov, Alex Wong, Boris Nemtsov Boris Nemtsov, Boris Yeltsin, Putin —, Boris Berezovsky Boris Berezovsky, Berezovsky, Natalia Estemirova Natalia Estemirova, Stanislav Markelov, Anastasia Baburova, Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Litvinenko, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi, Dmitry Kovtun, Mr Patrushev, Anna Politkovskaya, Mark Wilson, Paul Klebnikov Paul Klebnikov, Sergei Yushenkov Sergei Yushenkov Organizations: Service, BBC, Regional, United Russia, of Oil Company, Kremlin, SPUTNIK, Getty Images, CNBC, Daily, Police, Russia, FBI, Berkshire, British, Politkovskaya, Russian Embassy, Forbes, Protect Journalists, Liberal, Justice Ministry Locations: Russian, Rayagada, India, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Washington ,, Florida, Washington, DC, Sochi, Britain, Chechnya, Politkovskaya, London, Liberal Russia

First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov said demand for foreign currency had increased sharply in about 15 regions. "The rouble in the cash market sold off sharply on Saturday with buy/offer spreads widening out substantially," said Goldman Sachs in a note. "Should the response to the events over the weekend be additional spending, we think this would be followed by a weaker rouble." Rouble opens at 15-month low vs dollarInvestors globally were watching for ripple effects from the aborted mutiny, with some expecting a move into safe havens such as U.S. government bonds and the dollar. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) was 1.2% lower at 2,762.5 points.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Andrei Belousov, Belousov, Alexey Antonov, Goldman Sachs, Rouble, Alexander Marrow, Karin Strohecker, Kim Coghill, Ed Osmond Organizations: rouble, Alor Broker, Brent, Sinara Investment Bank, Thomson Locations: Russian, Russia, Rostov, Moscow, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Alor

☆ Russia seeks calm after aborted mutiny, West sees cracks in Putin's power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"We've seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade," Blinken told NBC's "Meet the Press" programme on Sunday. It was unclear if his visit to Russia's strongest ally was precipitated by the Wagner mutiny. It vouched support for Russia's efforts to maintain national stability, referring to the tension as Russia's "internal affairs". Biden and Trudeau both expressed support of Ukraine as it pursues a counteroffensive to recover territory seized by Russia, according to official statements. Giving its daily morning roundup on Monday, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Russian forces had conducted unsuccessful operations around Bakhmut.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Putin, groping, Antony Blinken, Blinken, NBC's, Andrei Rudenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Biden, Trudeau, Zelenskiy, Lukashenko, Antonio Tajani, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin, Hanna Maliar, Serhiy Nayev, ” Nayev, Simon Cameron, Moore, Lincoln Organizations: Wagner Group, Defence, Press, Russia's, Russian Federation, U.S, Canadian, Twitter, Russia's Security, Defence Ministry, Russia's TASS, RIA, Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russian, Ukraine's Joint Forces, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Belarus, Beijing, China, Bolshevik, Lyman, Donetsk, Bakhmut

☆ Russia pulls back from brink of crisis after deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images Putin judges an arm wrestling match while visiting the Seliger youth educational forum in Russia's Tver region in August 2011. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, ” Wagner, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Prigozhin, ” Peskov, Putin, Putin Putin, Joseph Stalin, –, “ Putin, Evelyn Farkas, ’, Vladimir Putin, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Pavel Bednyakov, Peter Zwack, Beth Sanner, ” Sanner, “ He’s, … Putin, Moscow’s, Priogozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Communist, McCain, Putin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, Russia’s Southern Military District, US Army, National Intelligence for Mission, State Department, European Union Locations: Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kremlin, Russia’s Belgorod, Putin Russian, Russian, Rostov, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, –, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Soviet, Kazakhstan

☆ Russian diplomat flies to Beijing as Putin faces heat at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The rebellion has been closely followed by Chinese media which has refrained from comment ahead of any official remarks, whereas many Chinese citizens have spoken up in support of Putin on social media. many Chinese citizens wrote in social media posts. China's Embassy in Russia told Chinese media outlet Southern Metropolis Daily on Saturday that the region around Moscow was calm. "Prigozhin realises that it is difficult to achieve the desired results through this rebellion," Song said. Reporting by Ryan Woo and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Tom Hogue and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrei Rudenko, Vladimir Putin's, Qin Gang, Rudenko, Putin, Joe Biden, Song Zhongping, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin's, Wagner, Prigozhin, Ryan Woo, Tom Hogue, Christopher Cushing Organizations: China's Foreign, Qin, U.S, Reuters, China's, Southern, Daily, Global Times, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian

☆ How Has the Wagner Rebellion Hurt Putin's Regime?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“It turned out that the czar is not a real czar because he couldn’t control a man from his own system who’s supposed to be under his full control,” said Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment who was in Moscow.

Persons: ”, Andrei Kolesnikov Organizations: Carnegie Endowment Locations: Moscow

In the war-torn Chechnya region, Mr. Kadyrov built up a private fiefdom while professing loyalty to no official but Mr. Putin himself. A judo sparring partner from Mr. Putin’s youth became a construction billionaire and built Mr. Putin’s landmark bridge to Crimea. And then there was Mr. Prigozhin, who has said that he met Mr. Putin in 2000 as a St. Petersburg restaurateur. In Ukraine, as Mr. Prigozhin tells it, Wagner troops were only called in after Mr. Putin’s initial invasion plan failed. But Mr. Putin seemed to vacillate on his own support for Mr. Prigozhin.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Putin’s, “, ”, —, “ Putin, Tatiana Stanovaya, ” Mr, Ramzan Kadyrov, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Mr, Wagner, tycoons, Boris N, Yeltsin, Kadyrov, Prigozhin’s, K.G.B, Donald J, Trump, Weeks, ’, Putin “, Andrei Soldatov, Prigozhin “, ” Mark Galeotti, ” Neil MacFarquhar, Valerie Hopkins Organizations: Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, ., Reuters, Federal Security Service, Kremlin, Television, Defense, Defense Ministry, Center for Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Chechnya, Belarus, Russia’s, Don, Ukraine, Putin’s, Crimea, St, Petersburg, United States, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Russian companies doubled their revenues to $15 trillion last year because the energy market did so well — but that doesn't mean they're reaping massive profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But it's not all good news for Russian companies: Due to sanctions, their profits grew just 6% on-year. That's nearly double the 655 trillion rubles Russian companies made in 2021, per the tax service department's statistics. In particular, Russian energy giant Gazprom posted record profits in the first half of 2022, prompting Moscow to impose windfall taxes on the company. Russia's energy revenues have also been hit heavily by restrictions against its exports, particularly after the European Union — a major customer of Russian energy — banned Russian crude oil starting December 5. In the first quarter of 2023, Russia posted a deficit of almost 2.4 trillion rubles — sharply reversing a surplus of more than 1 trillion rubles in the first quarter of 2022.

Persons: That's, it's, —, Andrei Belousov Organizations: Service, RBC, Gazprom, European Union, RBC TV Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow

☆ Russia says it downed three Ukrainian drones in Moscow region
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 21 (Reuters) - Russian air defences downed three drones in the Moscow region on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said, in what it called an attempted Ukrainian attack. The ministry said Russian defences had used electronic jamming to cause the drones to lose control and crash, without causing any casualties or damage. Reuters could not independently verify details of the incident or determine who had launched the drones. Moscow regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said two of the drones in Wednesday's incident were intercepted as they approached military warehouses. Self-styled partisan groups have reported frequent attacks on Russian rail infrastructure, sometimes resulting in derailments, during the 16 months since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Persons: Andrei Vorobyov, Sergei Aksyonov, Lidia Kelly, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn, Peter Graff Organizations: Defence Ministry, TASS, Taman Division, Russia's, Forces, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kalininets, Russian, Crimea, Feodosia, derailments, Russia

☆ Russian soldier gets $12,000 for destroying German tank in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 20 (Reuters) - A Russian soldier who destroyed a German-made Leopard tank in a battle in Ukraine has been given a 1 million rouble ($11,842) reward by a private foundation, Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday. It published a video showing the soldier, Andrei Kravtsov, sitting on a hospital bed and receiving a reward certificate from Alexander Karelin, a three-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling. The ministry did not say when and where Kravtsov had destroyed the tank or what he was being treated for in hospital. Russia says its forces have destroyed a number of German-made Leopards and U.S.-supplied Bradley fighting vehicles since Ukraine launched a counteroffensive earlier this month. It said the rate was 100,000 roubles for a tank and 300,000 roubles for a plane.

Persons: Andrei Kravtsov, Alexander Karelin, Kravtsov, Bradley, Karelin, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Leopards, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Moscow

☆ Death toll rises from flooding after Ukraine dam breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 18 (Reuters) - The death toll from flooding following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has risen to 16 in Ukraine, Kyiv officials said, while Russian officials said 29 people have died in territories that Moscow controls. The breaching of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across a large swath of land in southern Ukraine and in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine, destroying farmland and cutting off supplies to civilians. Andrei Alekseyenko, chairman of the Russian-installed administration in the Moscow-occupied parts of the Kherson region, said on the Telegram messaging app the death toll had risen to 29 people. Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since early days of its invasion in 2022. A team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine's prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings on Friday it was "highly likely" the collapse in Ukraine's Kherson region was caused by explosives planted by Russians.

Persons: Andrei Alekseyenko, Lidia Kelly, Lincoln Organizations: Telegram, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, U.S, Great Salt, Crimea, Melbourne

☆ A top Russian banker says the dollar's dominance is ending — but China's yuan is gaining prominence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The CEO of Russia's VTB Bank said the US dollar's dominance is ending, but the yuan could be on the rise. His comments come as VTB, Russia's second-largest bank by assets, is discussing settling trade transactions using the yuan with countries outside China. The debate is fanned by fears that Washington is weaponizing the US dollar-denominated global financial system against Russia over the Ukraine war. VTB posted a loss of $7.7 billion in 2022 due to Western sanctions against Russia. But the bank expects to post record profits in 2023 after acquiring a rival Russian bank, Reuters reported in April.

Persons: —, Andrei Kostin, Kostin, Russia's, Washington, VTB Organizations: Russia's VTB Bank, Reuters, Service, US, Russia Locations: Reuters Beijing, China, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Washington

Search resuls for: "andrei"

25 mentions found