Eastern Europe / News
Webinar & Podcast: Whither Ukraine in 2021?
Without an IMF deal can Ukraine get through 2021 without a crisis? With $11bn of debt to pay in debt redemption but only $26bn in reserves, Ukraine is headed for a crisis unless it can kiss and make up with the IMF.
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Ukraine strikes deal with Turkey to produce killer drones instrumental in Karabakh conflict
Production might possibly be complicated by parts export ban introduced by Canada.
Accusations fly as a new coronavirus vaccine candidate enters the race for the $100bn market
Another vaccine has entered the race to cure the world of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but unlike the US version, when AstraZeneca announced its successful preliminary trial results its share price crashed as a result.
Putin increases personal income tax for the first time in two decades
Russian President Vladimir Putin hiked personal income taxes from their flat 13% for the first time in two decades with a decree signed on November 22.
Belarus hits EU with tit-for-tat sanctions
The Belarusian government hit the EU and a number of European countries with tit-for-tat sanctions on November 22 and suspended all dialogue with the EU on human rights, according to the Belarusian Foreign Minister, Vladimir Makei.
Rosatom's €12.5bn nuclear plant expansion in Hungary moves forward
Hungary's energy regulator MEKH issued an electricity implementation licence for the construction of two new blocks at the Paks nuclear power plant in a fast-track procedure.
Belarusian police introduce colour-coded torture system for detained protesters
Belarusian police have introduced a colour-coded system for marking detainees that determines how severely they will be beaten, according to reports posted on social media
Russians get ready to spend the holidays at home as Xmas tree sales soar 23-fold
Russians are getting ready to celebrate a COVID-19 Christmas at home and have been laying in supplies for the holiday season that saw artificial Christmas tree orders on Russia’s biggest e-commerce site Wildberries soar 23-fold.
KAZ Minerals says risks around Baimskaya copper project in Russia up due to new government infrastructure plan
Complex submitted development plan for Chukotka "has resulted in higher infrastructure costs and a delay to the bankable feasibility study".
Kremlin publicly condemns Belarusian police brutality in hint of growing frustration with Lukashenko
There have been a string of signs from the Kremlin that it is slowly losing patience with Belarus' self-appointed President Alexander Lukashenko as the brutality of his repressive tactics continues to ratchet up.
Belarus OMON arrest and torture demonstrators defending slain protester's impromptu memorial at weekend march
Hundreds of Belarusian OMON riot police clashed with demonstrators at the “Square of Changes”, were trying to prevent them from dismantling a makeshift memorial to the 31-year-old Raman Bandarenka, who was beaten to death earlier that week.
NBU says no IMF tranche for Ukraine this year
Ukraine will not receive its second scheduled International Monetary Fund (IMF) tranche of $700mn before the end of this year, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Kyrylo Shevchenko said following a week of meetings in Washington.
An outpouring of grief, anger and frustration in Minsk as police beat another protester to death
There was an outpouring of grief, frustration and anger in Belarus on November 12 after police beat to death another protester who was trying to stop the authorities from removing red and white ribbons from a fence in the “Square of Change.”
Russia goes Big Pharma in the fight for the coronavirus business
Russia was widely criticised when it was the first in the world to register the Sputnik V anti-coronavirus vaccine in August, accused of rushing through the approval for political gain. Now it is a front-runner to win about $1bn in vaccine sales.
#BREAKING: Russia’s Supreme Court lifts most of US fund manager Michael Calvey’s house arrest restrictions
Russia’s Supreme Court has ordered most of the restrictions on US fund management Michael Calvey and his colleagues from Baring Vostok be lifted on November 12.
Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine efficacy is 92%, preliminary data shows
The efficacy of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is 92%, according to preliminary data, the authorities announced on November 11, a day after the US firm Pfizer announced it had developed a vaccine that is 90% effective.
The region of Ingushetia is about to become the first Russian region ever to go bust
Russia’s southern region of Ingushetia is about to become the first ever region in the country to go bankrupt, after its debt service obligations soared to 125% of its income thanks to spiralling healthcare costs and a slowing economy.
CFC joins RWC in assessing KAZ Minerals buyout offer as under-valuation
Offer will prevent minority shareholders from realising full value of their investment in copper miner, CFC says. RWC has said it is “deeply underwhelmed” by the bid.
Protesters flood Yerevan demanding Armenia’s “traitor” PM quit over Nagorno-Karabakh surrender
Parliament attempts to meet but can’t establish quorum. Russian peacekeepers start to arrive. Ethnic Armenian head of enclave urges inhabitants not to flee, saying it will be possible to still live in territory.
Belarusian President Lukashenko makes protesting a criminal offence
Belarus' self-appointed President Alexander Lukashenko has ramped up the risk of protesting by making it a criminal offence that carries a sentence of only two weeks in jail, but could result in several years incarceration.