Stories from Russia

Political analyst Yuri Svetov discussed a 90 billion euro military credit package for Ukraine. The discussion included perspectives on the situation in Hungary and Slovakia. The segment was broadcast on Komsomolskaya Pravda radio. The discussion covered the implications of the funding in Hungary and Slovakia. The source noted the package involves 90 billion euros.

Uralmining has lost rights to the Bolshaya Saym deposit in the Amur region. The company had held the rights to the deposit since 2005. Development timelines for the titanium-containing ores may be delayed due to the need for new investments in the construction of a mining and processing plant.

The Russian-designed Irtysh 32-core CPU successfully ran The Witcher 3 at over 30 FPS. Despite the performance, the chip still imposes a CPU bottleneck during testing.

Wildberries-Russ press service denied reports that VTB is discussing integration options with the marketplace. Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim also called rumors of VTB entering the company's capital "complete nonsense." VTB Chairman Andrey Kostin previously stated last week that banks must now cooperate or compete with marketplace banks rather than attempting to stifle them. VTB noted it is already working with Wildberries on certain product lines. VTB is reportedly working with Wildberries in several areas despite previous denials of integration. The marketplace provides these discounts via the bank, and Azonbank continues to participate in the program with equal discount levels for partner bank cards. The Wildberries-Rus press service also refuted claims regarding a partnership between Azon, Sovcombank, and MTS.

Compensatory buses have been assigned to the Savelelo-Dmitrov section following service disruptions.

Peruvians living abroad have reportedly been deceived into participating in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The victims were allegedly promised salary-based jobs but were instead led into the war. Dr. Percis Salinas, a lawyer representing the Center of Mothers Searching for Peruvians in Russia, is addressing the situation. A lawyer representing the Center of Mothers of Missing Peruvians in Russia stated that Peruvians were deceived into the Russia-Ukraine conflict through false promises of salary and employment. Percis Salinas, provided these details during an interview. The Peruvian embassy in Russia reportedly lacks the budget for plane tickets for citizens to travel from Moscow to Istanbul. Families are being asked to purchase these tickets for their return to Peru.

The beauty retailer Zolotoye Yabloko reported a turnover of 204.3 billion rubles. The company is utilizing premium locations to attract customers seeking both shopping and leisure experiences. The company uses large store layouts to encourage consumer movement between cosmetic product aisles. Additionally, the company's online store and application use nightly price parsing to offer competitive pricing against the market. Zolotoe Yabloko is implementing high pricing strategies for cosmetics, which is leading to some previously profitable locations becoming loss-making. The company is reportedly planning to close or remove these problematic locations. First quarter 2020 results indicate pressure from marketplaces on the retailer. Rivgosh has reduced its network by approximately 10%, while Eldobote has suspended active expansion and is not opening new stores.

Approximately half of Russian micro-businesses with turnovers up to 20 million rubles are operating without profit. Up to 65% of micro-businesses in Russia were in a position of no profit during the first quarter, according to Business FM Russia. Respondents cited low demand, rising taxes, increased burdens, and high interest rates as primary causes. While larger businesses remain more resilient, many have paused investments. Moscow statistics show a 12 percent loss in customers within the catering sector. Businesses are facing increased insurance contributions and higher credit costs. The removal of tax benefits for IT companies via the simplified tax system has also impacted business operations. Data from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry shows even higher figures, with 65 percent of enterprises failing to record profit in the first quarter.

Russia is pursuing a strategy to open and expand specific air corridors to facilitate operations. This strategy includes targeting air defense systems, missile complexes, and radar stations (RLS). The objective is to increase capabilities within these corridors, according to the report. A local oil refinery was attacked by drones during the night. A fire is currently burning at the facility, according to reports. The attack occurred near a local oil processing plant.

Scammers defrauded a mother and daughter of nearly 40 million rubles in Moscow, according to reports released yesterday. The incident involved the theft of funds through fraudulent means. The victim, a pensioner, withdrew cash and packaged it for delivery to scammers, while her daughter also complied with demands. The daughter reportedly handed over all her savings, including money from a car sale. Scammers targeted a pensioner and her daughter, eventually forcing the daughter to participate in the scheme. The daughter followed instructions to withdraw money and hand it over to delivery persons. The source noted that scammers are now involving entire families in their operations.