Economy
Most banks in Armenia will stop servicing and accepting Mir cards. [rbc.ru]
The EU will not interfere with the export of Russian agricultural products to the countries of the global South, said the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. [ria.ru]
Putin instructed the government to begin work on tax reforms. [ura.news]
The Central Bank continues to observe signs of overheating in the Russian economy. While the peak has already passed, demand growth continues to exceed supply capabilities, said Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina. [ria.ru]
The United Arab Emirates Bank Emirates NBD (ENBD) has stopped accepting transfers in rubles and stopped the work of its Russia-focused department. [nakanune.ru]
The Russian government debt is small, but the costs of servicing it are large, said Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov: “The debt is small—we have a debt of 15% of the gross domestic product. But the costs of servicing the debt are large. If you and I look and compare how Russia carries out these costs (ed.), then in 2019 the level of costs for servicing the debt by income was somewhere around 3.6%. In 2026, according to estimates, if we carry out our planned borrowings, it will be ... a little less than 10%. That’s a lot.” [ria.ru]
Over the past five years, banks have tripled the volume of repayment of overdue mortgages through the repossession and sale of apartments at auction. In St. Petersburg over the past year, the number of apartments sold for debts has increased by 60%. [fontanka.ru]
Gasoline supplies to the Russian domestic market in March compared to February increased by 13 thousand tons per day, diesel fuel - by 15.5 thousand tons per day. [ria.ru]
Society
133 people, including 3 children, were killed in the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall. [regnum.news]
Putin declared March 24 a national day of mourning and said additional anti-terrorism and anti-sabotage measures have been introduced in Moscow and the Moscow region, as well as in all regions of the country. [vedomosti.ru]
At the beginning of 2024, the natural population decline in Russia increased by 21.9% compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat). [nsn.fm]
The topic of the death penalty for terrorism will be discussed in the State Duma after the terrorist attack in Crocus, Vladimir Vasiliev, head of the United Russia faction, said in an interview. [vedomosti.ru]
Russian banks are collecting biometric data without the knowledge of citizens using their mobile applications. [ura.news]
The Ministry of Internal Affairs denied claims circulating on Telegram channels that suspects arrested in connection to the Crocus City Hall attack had Russian citizenship. [nakanune.ru]
The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov spoke out against “nationalist manifestations” in the wake of the terrorist attack in Moscow: “Russia has been and will be multinational. In this I personally see its strength, power, greatness … “We are already successfully fighting neo-Nazism, and nothing will prevent us from also successfully fighting nationalist manifestations within the country,” he wrote on Telegram. [tass.ru]
In response to the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, the Moscow police created special groups for additional checks of foreign citizens. [gazeta.ru]
Covid accelerated Russia’s adoption of AI, and this technology is now being used to usher in a global revolution in education, according to Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev: “Thanks to Covid, artificial intelligence came to healthcare; now in the next five to six years, we believe [AI will lead to] a global restructuring of the education system. AI will determine the individual trajectory of additional education for each child. AI will be tasked with deciding what educational blocks students need for their future careers; AI will be able to determine the abilities of children and prescribe training based on this,” Shadayev said during AI Day at the “Russia” exhibition at Moscow’s VDNKh. [katyusha.org]
Ukraine
One person was killed and four were injured as a result of a missile attack on Sevastopol. [ria.ru]
A Ukrainian official said that a series of explosions in Kiev-controlled Zaporozhye had led to the “destruction of infrastructure facilities”. Earlier, explosions were reported in Kiev. [svpressa.ru]
In response to regular attacks by Ukraine, 150 children from the Belgorod region will be temporarily relocated to the Astrakhan region. An additional 540 children will be sent to the Samara region. [regnum.news]
Putin said Russia may at some point create a “sanitary zone” in Ukraine to protect Belgorod and other border regions from attacks. [nakanune.ru]
A fire broke out in the Lviv region after an explosion at a critical infrastructure facility. [kommersant.ru]
Poland claims a Russian missile violated its airspace in the early hours of March 24. [tass.ru]
Gazprom is supplying gas to Europe in transit through Ukraine in the amount of 42.1 million cubic meters per day, a representative from the company told reporters on March 24. [tass.ru]
It was a very news-heavy week in Russia but I was distracted by puppies. I’m sorry. Intensive squatting coming soon, though.
Until then, have a very nice Sunday.
There doesn't seem to be anything here yet