L'économie

Ruble stabilizes after latest sanctions slump PRO Members Public
The ruble has recovered from a sudden devaluation last month, which was largely tied to liquidity problems in the wake of US sanctions against dozens of Russian banks — chiefly Gazprombank. The value of the currency against both the dollar and the yuan, on various measures, had reached its worst level

New U.S. sanctions push the ruble to its lowest since spring 2022 PRO Members Public
The United States has imposed the most wide-reaching range of banking sanctions on Russia since spring 2022 (read more here), hitting leading state institution Gazprombank, which had remained connected to SWIFT and conducted settlements in euros. The fallout of the potential disruption on Russia’s energy trade pushed the ruble

Russia’s authorities squeeze exiled critics’ income PRO Members Public
The authorities are looking to strip income for Russians who criticize the Ukraine invasion from abroad. For celebrities and artists, that means no more royalty payments, while for others it could mean halting any income they get from renting out property. * Many prominent Russian artists who left the country after

Can we trust Russian economic statistics? PRO Members Public
Since the start of the war, the Russian authorities have classified heaps of important statistical and economic data. For the third year in a row, Moscow is not publishing figures on imports, exports, foreign trade, gold and foreign exchange reserves, or oil production. But can the data that Moscow still

The Central Bank readies another rate hike PRO Members Public
There is little doubt that the central bank is gearing up to raise its key interest rate in its next meeting on Friday. Currently set at 19%, it’s expected to be hiked to 20-21% — matching or surpassing the emergency interest rate introduced days after Russia invaded Ukraine. This time

Putin’s new passion: boosting Russia’s flagging birth rate PRO Members Public
The bleak demographic prospects for Russia’s near future have prompted the authorities into fresh action, with new legislation set to come into force to try to boost the country’s low birth rate. Last week, a bill banning “childfree propaganda” passed the first of three readings in parliament. The

Calls for childless tax PRO Members Public
Quelques semaines après avoir présenté un projet de loi visant à interdire l'"idéologie sans enfant", plusieurs personnalités russes ont commencé à réclamer l'introduction d'une taxe sur les couples qui n'ont pas d'enfant. Il s'agit de la dernière proposition en date qui, selon ses partisans, permettra de résoudre les problèmes démographiques du pays liés à la guerre et s'inscrit dans le cadre d'un mouvement conservateur de plus en plus marqué.

Secret spending hits record level PRO Members Public
The Russian government on Monday sent its 2025-2027 budget to the State Duma, outlining plans that will see defense spending hit a post-Soviet record at 6.3% of GDP. We wrote about the plans for another ramp-up in Russia’s military spending in Friday’s newsletter. The publication of the

New US sanctions hit mid-tier online providers PRO Members Public
New US sanctions on the use of American software in Russia — agreed in June — have been in place since Sep. 12. The measures were designed to deprive Russian companies of access to business management, design and production tools. There were some exceptions in place to prevent undue disruption, but this

Jet crash prompts speculation over Russia’s import substitution drive PRO Members Public
Last Friday, a Russian Sukhoi Superjet (SSJ) 100 passenger aircraft crashed near Moscow, killing all three crew members on board. The plane was flying to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after having undergone repair work. First developed in the 2000s, the model never took off with airlines either abroad or at