NEWS FROM RUSSIA: January 7, 2024

Edward's weekly Russia-related news roundup & open thread

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Vishnevsky Central Military Hospital on January 1, 2024 (source: Kremlin.ru)

Greetings and merry Orthodox Christmas.

Welcome to the new and improved weekly Russian media news roundup and open thread-thing. Feel free to share your own URLs in the comments section.

The quote of the week:

Unfortunately, Russia’s almost two-year participation in the war of annihilation with the collective West has not led to the country’s exit from global trends, so desired by patriots. Moreover, many of [the aforementioned unsavory global trends] are being implemented in our country at an accelerated pace … We wish all of us in the new year to finally unhook from the globalist train, which is flying at full speed into the abyss of dehumanization!

— Katyusha.org, December 31, 2023

And now for some news.

Economy

• Manufacturers of household appliances and electronics have warned that products will become more expensive in 2024 due to new environmental requirements issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources. Authorities plan to increase environmental fees by 2.2 times. [Izvestia]

• Bank of Russia chief Elivira Nabiullina is facing growing criticism after her decision to raise the key rate to 16%. [Tsargrad]

• Manufacturers and distributors have notified retailers of an increase of 5-20% in selling prices for a wide range of goods starting in 2024—from dairy products, coffee, juices, rice to confectionery. The expected price hikes have been blamed on the rise in exchange rates, which affects the costs of imported raw materials, as well as the rise in price of domestic transportation services by more than a third. [Kommersant]

• Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that provides for the integration of the digital ruble into the system of tax regulation and control. [TASS]

• 19.36 tons of eggs have been imported from Turkey in an attempt to halt rising prices. In some regions, egg prices have more than doubled over the past six months. [Nakanune]

• Inflation expectations of the Russian population in December reached 14.2%, according to the data of the InFOM survey, which was conducted by order of the Bank of Russia. This data shows how much survey respondents think prices will rise over the next 12 months. [RBC]

“Public Health”

• Research on the updated children’s vaccine against coronavirus infection is planned to be completed around mid-January. So far no significant adverse reactions have been identified in children, according to Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Center. [RIA Novosti]

• Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a military hospital in Moscow on January 1, where he met with wounded soldiers. The entire hospital except for Putin was masked, because of Science. [Kremlin.ru]

• Russian regions have begun to purchase the updated Sputnik Light vaccine, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko announced at the end of December. [RIA Novosti]

• The Office of Rospotrebnadzor in the Sverdlovsk Region began to report to the guardianship authorities about parents who deliberately do not vaccinate their children. [eanews.ru]

• The Russian Ministry of Health has extended the temporary operating procedure for medical institutions for the purpose of preventing COVID-19 for another year—until January 1, 2025. The order includes guidelines for organizing the work of medical institutions and outpatient centers for the diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus. The extension of the decree also means that Russia’s “vaccination hotline” will continue to operate. [RIA Novosti]

• World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Ghebreyesus has urged everyone to wear masks and get vaccinated against COVID-19 in response to a purported spike in cases in many countries. [RIA Novosti]

Society

• Russia will be either sovereign or non-existent at all, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the 21st congress of the ruling United Russia party. [TASS]

• About 33% of the 1.3 thousand Russians surveyed would be happy to replace the New Year's corporate party with a bonus. 46% said they were “horrified” about participating in a corporate event. [m24.ru]

• More than 1 million people took part in Christmas services in Moscow, according to the head of the capital’s department of national policy and interregional relations. [govoritmoskva.ru]

• “The Russian Federation has ceased to be a ‘melting pot’, and newcomers do not become full-fledged citizens of Russia. On the contrary, they are beginning to explore the emptying Russia, bringing their traditions and customs. In essence, there is a creeping foreign cultural invasion that has long been relatively unnoticeable.” [Military Review]

• Rossiya Airlines turned to the Ministry of Transport for help with resolving the suspension of flights from the regions to Beijing. [Gazeta]

• Autumn conscription in 2024 will be carried out using an electronic register developed by the Ministry of Digital Development. The plan includes the issuance of electronic summonses and military registration without the physical appearance of individuals at military enlistment offices. [RBC]

Ukraine

• Putin signed a decree granting citizenship to foreign nationals who participate in the SMO under contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. [TASS]

• “Israel’s declared goals of its ongoing operation against Hamas militants in Gaza seem nearly identical to Moscow’s in its campaign against the Ukrainian government, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview.” [RT International]

• Gazprom announced on January 7 that it was supplying gas for Europe through Ukraine in the volume of 40.5 million cubic meters per day via the Sudzha gas pumping station in Russia’s Kursk Region. [TASS]

• Popular military correspondent Alexander Kots gave a wide-ranging interview about his views on the conflict and changes in the Russian military over the past year. [Business Gazeta]

• The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has suffered 500,000 casualties (killed and wounded) since the start of the SMO, former Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko said on the Pryamoy TV channel. [Lenta]

• Turkey is ready to again give a platform in Istanbul if Russia and Ukraine want to complete the interrupted negotiations, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. [RT Russian]

• The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, offered to release captured Ukrainian soldiers in exchange for the lifting of Western sanctions against members of his family, his planes, and horses. Kadyrov gave a list of prisoners to former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, who was visiting Grozny as part of a delegation. [TASS]

Have a restful Sunday!

— Riley