-Kudrin warns of “new shocks” in Russian economy
The possibility of U.S. expanding sanctions on Russian state debt has been strengthened by the recent move of the U.S. Senate.
The bill on new sanctions on Russian banking, the energy sectors and against Russia's state debt was submitted to the U.S. Senate at the beginning of this month.
Russia’s Comptroller General Alexei Kudrin warned last week that new 'shocks' could be seen in the Russian economy because of possible new U.S. sanctions.
“During last year, sanctions against Russian companies had a significant impact not only on the market but also on investor sentiment. This was not a shocking effect, but we are inadequate in terms of investments and economic growth. It is difficult to reach the targets we have set in order to increase the growth rates above the global average.”
-Critical resignations in Gazprom
Alexander Medvedev and Valeriy Golubev, deputy heads of the Russian energy company Gazprom, left their posts on Monday.
Medvedev, who had been working for Gazprom for 17 years, controlled the company’s export activities. Golubev managed the local natural gas markets in Gazprom where he worked for 16 years.
These resignation decisions mark the most significant change to Gazprom's top management since 2011.