Eastern Europe

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The Russian State Duma has passed at third reading amendments to the Tax Code which will exempt Gazprom and its subsidiaries from the elevated profit tax of 34% introduced from January 1, 2023 for all LNG exporters.The governmen...

CHISINAU. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Moldovan gas market participants in propose to switch to kilowatt- and megawatt-hours for measuring natural gas, the press service of the national operator, Moldovagaz, said.Moldovagaz said it, together with Energocom and gas ...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian government has set an immigration quota for 2023 at 9,203 people.Ukrainian media have reported with reference to the government's directive of February 7 that an immigration quota for relatives of Ukrainian cit...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The Russian economy in 2023 may develop better than the official forecast, which currently assumes a decline in GDP by 0.8%, Deputy Finance Minister Vladimir Kolychev said."There is a chance that the economy will develop bet...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Economy Ministry and the U.S. banking holding JP Morgan have concluded a memorandum of understanding, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said."At a meeting with representatives of JP Morgan, I told them abo...

MINSK. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Wildberries has opened a third logistics center in Belarus in order to expand cooperation with local businesses, the online retailer said in a press release."The online retailer continues to develop on the country's terri...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Ukraine will become a European Union member, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said in his remarks at the European Parliament on Thursday."We are moving closer toward the European Union. Ukraine will be a European Union ...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Ukraine's state-owned Export-Import Bank (Ukreximbank), based in Kiev, is going to sell non-performing loans totaling 100 billion hryvni at Dutch auctions (at which prices start high and are dropped successively until a bidd...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Russian Railways (RZD) is discussing its investment program for 2024-2025 at an amount of 1.2-1.3 trillion rubles, Vadim Mikhailov, RZD first deputy head, said on Thursday during the III Russian Forum on Financial Literacy, Pros...

MOSCOW Feb 9 (Interfax) - Rosseti made investments totaling almost 450 billion rubles in 2022, Alexei Molsky, deputy head of the company for investment and capital construction, said at the Prosto Capital Russian forum on financial literacy."We though...

MINSK. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration Mariusz Kaminski has ordered that traffic through the Bobrowniki checkpoint on the border with Belarus (Berestovitsa on the Belarusian side) be suspended from February 10."Fo...

MINSK. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The All-Belarusian People's Assembly will hold its inaugural meeting at the end of April 2024, Olga Chupris, deputy head of the Belarusian presidential office, said on Thursday."The first All-Belarusian People's Assem...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Energoatom, Ukraine's state-owned nuclear energy company, and Canada's Cameco Corporation have reached agreement on commercial terms for a major supply contract for Cameco to provide natural uranium hexafluoride to meet ...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Russia increased exports of food and agricultural products to China by 44% by value and 36% by volume in 2022, the Agriculture Ministry's Agroexport Center reported."Thanks to this dynamic, China regained the position of...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The recent powerful earthquake in Turkey may postpone the establishment of a gas hub in the country, but this project will be implemented nonetheless, the Kremlin said."Of course, it [the gas hub project] cannot be a priorit...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Sberbank increased its retail loan portfolio to Russian Accounting Standards (RAS) by 1% to 12.2 trillion rubles in January 2023, and reduced its corporate loan portfolio by 0.9% to 18.6 trillion rubles, excluding currency reval...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Russia has registered 12,301 new cases of Covid-19, which is the biggest number since late October 2022, and 41 related deaths in the past 24 hours, the coronavirus response headquarters said in a statement on Thursday.Russia &#...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Russia is concerned about attempts being made in Afghanistan by extra-regional countries to take advantage of the situation there to set up their own organizations under the guise of combating terrorism, Russian President Vladim...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The heads of Gazprom and Lukoil discussed the main areas for cooperation."During the working meeting, separate attention was given to the two companies' joint Layavozhneftegaz project," the companies' press servi...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Polar Lithium, a collaboration between Nornickel and Rosatom's mining division, has been awarded the exclusive right to develop Kolmozerskoye, Russia's largest lithium deposit, Nornickel said in a statement.The Federal S...

CHISINAU. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The European Union - Moldova Association Council reaffirmed its commitment to Moldova's European development perspective at a meeting in Brussels on February 7."The future of Moldova and its citizens lies within the Eu...

MINSK. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The Grodno Regional Court on Wednesday handed down an eight-year term in an enhanced-security penal colony to Andrzej Poczobut, a journalist of Poland's Polonia international public television channel and a Union of Poles in ...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Polar Lithium LLC, a joint venture between Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation and Norilsk Nickel , has received the license for the Kolmozerskoye lithium deposit, Russia's biggest, Nornickel said in a statement.The Fed...

NOUAKCHOTT. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Moscow and Nouakchott deem it necessary to enhance economic ties, especially direct contacts between business entities of the two countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said following a meeting with Mauritanian Pr...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Russia's Agriculture Ministry has distributed the quota on grain exports among 203 companies, according to the ministry's order posted on the Telegram channel of the Grain Exporters Union.The quota enters into effect on ...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The German government will donate over 700 generators to Ukraine to ease the energy crisis there, and 41 of these generators should be transferred to food producers.Seven Ukrainian bakeries have received German generators, whose...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Danish renewable energy equipment manufacturer Vestas has chosen the most uncompromising option for exiting Russia, one that other companies have so far preferred not to take.Vestas was a wind power technology partner of Fortum ...

LONDON. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The United Kingdom has added eight Russian businesspeople and six Russian companies to its sanction list, a statement circulated by the UK government on Wednesday says.In particular, the sanctions announced by London apply to Ru...

TBILISI. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The European Union supports Tbilisi's wish to act as a bridge in negotiations between Baku and Yerevan, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar said.It is very important to ensure that these three count...

ISTANBUL. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The death toll from a strong quake in Turkey has reached 8,547, while the number of those injured has exceeded 49,000, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday."The number of deaths from the quake with the ...

LONDON. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The United Kingdom will be ready to start training Ukrainian military pilots, should such a need arise, Downing Street said."The Prime Minister will offer to bolster the UK's training offer for Ukrainian troops, includin...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Ukraine's international reserves grew 5% or $1.4 billion during January 2023 to $29.922 billion as of February 1, due to foreign exchange received from international partners, which exceeded the National Bank's foreign c...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The Russian authorities are discussing with large businesses a one-time voluntary contribution to the budget from profits generated during the financially successful year of 2022; and this would not entail raising taxes, but, ra...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Ukraine's Ukroboronprom state-owned defense company and VOP CZ, the Czech manufacturer of military hardware, have signed documents on cooperation in the field of armored hardware."On February 6, the Ukroboronprom state-o...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Over 200,000 foreign tourists visited Russia in 2022, down 28.8% from the year before, the Federal Security Service (FSB)'s Border Service said in its statistical report.A total of 205,100 foreigners visited Russia as touris...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The mandatory substitution of Eurobonds with local bonds will restore the rights of Russian investors, who will be able to obtain a full-fledged financial instrument, director of the Russian Finance Ministry's Financial Poli...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The Reni port has received a vessel loaded with a new type of cargo, i.e. citrus fruits from Egypt, for the first time in Ukraine's post-Soviet period, whereas such vessels are usually handled by the larger ports of Greater ...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - A growth scenario for the Russian economy in 2023 is possible, the government will take measures to implement it, First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov told reporters."There are opportunities for growth in 2023, this i...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Ukraine received Japanese humanitarian aid - 259 generators and components for the energy sector in December 2022 - February 2023, the Ukrainian media said on Wednesday with the reference to the Ukrainian Energy Ministry."We...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will arrive in the United Kingdom on Wednesday to meet with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian troops, Ukrainian media said with reference to the Sky News television channel, which ...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Oil production remained at 9.8-9.9 million barrels per day in Russia according to the results for January, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters."I can say [that oil production in January remained] at the leve...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - There is no need for additional restrictions of any kind in Russia amid the growing Covid-19 morbidity, as the prevailing strains are highly contagious but cause mild infections, the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on C...

YEKATERINBURG. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Ural Airlines has been cleared to perform regular flights from Russia to a number of Uzbek cities, the Russian Federal Air Transport Service said in its materials.The airline will be able to fly to Namangan, Karshi, Urgen...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The level of LNG inflows to Europe since the beginning of February is the lowest since November last year.Europe has large, unused gas reserves in underground storage facilities owing to reduced industrial demand, though there a...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Germany is exploring the possibility of seizing frozen Russian government funds for Ukraine, Russia's ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechayev said in an interview with Izvestia published on Wednesday."Options are being ex...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The effort towards resuming power supply to Odessa and adjacent districts, disrupted by an incident at an Ukrenergo sub-station on Saturday, has helped ease the tight power supply schedules and to supply electricity for two hour...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The Ukrenergo electricity transmission system operator has raised or kept unchanged electricity supply limits for Kiev and regions for February 8, compared to the previous day, the Ukrainian media said with the reference to dist...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky met with recently appointed German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Kiev on Tuesday, Ukrainian media said, citing the presidential press service.Zelensky welcomed Pistorius in Kiev and th...

KEMEROVO. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Russia's Energy Ministry supports a proposal from the authorities of Kemerovo Region, home to the Kuznetsk coal basin, to impose a moratorium on railway freight rate increases for coal, Deputy Minister Sergei Mochalnikov s...

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Fortum will need more time to complete its exit from Russia due to "significant uncertainties," including regulatory approvals, related to the ongoing divestment process, the Finnish energy company reported on Tuesday.Du...