Latest news with #GlebBryanski
The Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Russia says 291 Ukrainian drones downed
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian air defence units downed 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday. "Air defence systems downed two guided aircraft bombs, three projectiles of Czech-made Vampire multiple rocket launch systems and 291 fixed-wing drones," the ministry said on its Telegram channel. It added that Russian warplanes and drones struck drone production facilities and control centres within Ukraine. (Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Putin says Russia plans to cut military spending from next year
By Gleb Bryanski and Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia was looking to cut its military expenditure from next year, contrasting that with NATO's plan to ramp up defence spending over the next decade. NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to raise their collective spending goal to 5% of gross domestic product in the next 10 years, citing what they called the long-term threat posed by Russia and the need to strengthen civil and military resilience. In his first reaction to that move, Putin told a press conference in Minsk that the NATO spending would go on "purchases from the USA and on supporting their military-industrial complex", and this was NATO's business, not Russia's. "But now here is the most important thing. We are planning to reduce defence spending. For us, next year and the year after, over the next three-year period, we are planning for this," he said. Putin said there was no final agreement yet between the defence, finance and economy ministries, "but overall, everyone is thinking in this direction. And Europe is thinking about how to increase its spending, on the contrary. So who is preparing for some kind of aggressive actions? Us or them?" Putin's comments are likely to be greeted with extreme scepticism in the West, given that Russia has massively increased defence spending since the start of the Ukraine war. The conflict shows no sign of ending and has actually intensified in recent weeks, as negotiations have made no visible progress towards a ceasefire or a permanent settlement. Putin said Russia appreciated efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to bring an end to the war. "He recently stated that it turned out to be more difficult than it seemed from the outside. Well, that's true," Putin said. Trump said this week that he believed Putin wanted to find a way to settle the conflict, but Ukraine and many of its European allies believe the Kremlin leader has no real interest in a peace deal and is intent on capturing more territory. Putin said Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in constant contact, and Moscow was ready to return the bodies of 3,000 more Ukrainian soldiers. ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN Russia is seeing a sharp slowdown in economic growth as the budget comes under pressure from falling energy revenues and the central bank is trying to bring down inflation. Russia hiked state spending on national defence by a quarter in 2025 to 6.3% of gross domestic product (GDP), the highest level since the Cold War. Defence spending accounts for 32% of total 2025 federal budget expenditure. Defence plants have been working round-the-clock for the past several years, and the state has spent heavily on bonuses to attract soldiers to sign up and on compensation for the families of those who are killed. Putin acknowledged that Russia had paid for the military spending increase with higher inflation. The finance ministry raised the 2025 budget deficit estimate to 1.7% of gross domestic product in April from 0.5% after reducing its energy revenues forecast by 24%, and it plans to tap into fiscal reserves this year to balance the budget. The next draft budget is due to appear in the autumn. (Additional reporting by Lucy Papachristou, Maxim Rodionov, Anastasia Teterevleva, Anastasia Lyrchikova and Elena Fabrichnaya; writing by Mark Trevelyan and Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Zawya
25-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Russian rouble flat vs US dollar, ignoring oil volatility
The Russian rouble was flat against the U.S. dollar as well as China's yuan on Wednesday, ignoring volatility in the oil market related to the conflict between Israel and Iran. By 0950 GMT, the rouble traded at 78.35 per U.S. dollar, according to LSEG data based on over-the-counter quotes. The Russian currency is up by about 45% against the dollar since the start of the year. Oil prices climbed more than 1% on Wednesday, as investors assessed the stability of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. BCS brokerage analysts said domestic factors such as low demand for imports, tight monetary policy as well as forex sales by exporters ahead of the corporate tax payments deadline supported the rouble. "However, in the longer term, these factors supporting the rouble and putting pressure on foreign currency exchange rates are likely to weaken," BCS analysts said. Against the Chinese yuan, the most traded foreign currency in Russia, the rouble traded at 10.91 per yuan on the Moscow Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian farmers appeal to Putin for help against antelope invasion
By Olga Popova and Gleb Bryanski MOSCOW (Reuters) -Farmers in Russia's Saratov region have appealed to President Vladimir Putin for help in dealing with an invasion of saiga antelopes that have migrated from Kazakhstan and devastated their fields. The appeal, posted on several popular farmers' channels on Telegram, said that the saiga population has grown uncontrollably in recent years, reaching up to one million in Russia alone. Saratov, located along the Volga River, is the country's sixth-largest grain-producing region, with an annual harvest of about 4 million metric tons, accounting for 3.5% of Russia's total grain harvest. Farmers reported that about 500,000 saigas crossed into Russia from Kazakhstan at the end of May. They said that thousands had drowned in local rivers, contaminating the water supply. "We hope for your understanding and assistance in resolving this situation, which threatens the very existence of agriculture in our region," the farmers said in their appeal. Culling or hunting saigas, which were nearly extinct in the 1990s, is prohibited in Russia. A separate letter to Putin, signed by heads of the region's leading farms and obtained by Reuters, said that crop losses from saigas are not covered by insurance because the animal is not yet listed as an agricultural pest. The Saratov regional Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday that it has set up damage assessment commissions and is developing a mechanism to support farmers. The surge in the population of saigas, easily recognised by their trunk-like nose that filters sand particles from the desert air, is considered a global conservation success story. Evgeny Karabanov from Kazakhstan's Grain Union lobby group told Reuters that an estimated 4.0-4.5 million antelopes are currently roaming in the Central Asian country, compared to only 25,000 in the 1990s. "Their migration area has significantly expanded... No one is asking them for passports," Karabanov said. (Writing by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Weather set to hit harvest in Russia's largest grain region
By Olga Popova and Gleb Bryanski MOSCOW (Reuters) -High temperatures and a lack of rain over the coming months are expected to deplete the harvest in Russia's largest grain region Rostov, the head of the local grain lobby group said after a farming emergency was declared. Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar issued a decree on May 19 introducing the state of emergency for farming after spring frosts and ordered local authorities to evaluate the damage. The declaration allows farmers to seek compensation. Insurance payments to farmers linked to bad weather grew by 76% in 2024. Apart from the frosts, a lack of rain is expected to deplete the harvest further, Anatoly Kolchik, head of the local branch of the Russian Grain Union lobby group, told a local edition of the Vedomosti daily on Tuesday. "The problems affected not only winter crops but also spring crops. They simply won't have enough time to gain the necessary strength," Kolchik was quoted as saying, adding that only the upper layers of soil had sufficient moisture. Andrei Sizov from Sovecon consultancy also cited the lack of rain as the biggest threat to crops in Rostov and that yields were set to decline. "Overall, the situation has improved with the recent rainfall, but it's far from sufficient. The potential yield is below average," Sizov said. Rostov became the third Russian grain-producing region to declare a farming emergency after frosts in late April and May. The others were Voronezh and Belgorod. The region's grain harvest fell by 22% last year after Rostov was hit by spring frosts and then by drought, with the wheat harvest declining by 38%. The grain harvest for the whole of Russia, the world's biggest wheat exporter, declined by almost 14% in 2024. In February local authorities forecast this year's harvest in Rostov would be 13.7 million metric tons, 20% more than in 2024. "The situation this year remains tense, both in terms of weather and economic parameters," Rostov's First Deputy Agriculture Minister Olga Gorbaneva said during the public hearing of the region's budget. Gorbaneva said the region's agricultural sector profit margin fell to 8% in 2024 from 16% the previous year. She also said that grain farming costs rose by 35% last year while revenue rose by 13%. Russia's Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said last week that crop damage from May frosts is not significant this year and is estimated at only about 10% of last year's damage. She also said that a lack of moisture in the soil was the next big risk. ($1 = 80.8500 roubles)
