The London Telegraph has been looking at how hard Ukraine-related sanctions have been hitting Russia. Much harder than people realised, it concludes:
Sanctions linked to the Ukraine crisis could end up costing Russia 9pc of its gross domestic product, the International Monetary Fund has said.
Russia's economy is showing signs of stabilisation after slumping under pressure from Western financial sanctions and Russian counter-measures. Low international prices for its oil exports have added to pressure on the rouble and government finances.
"The effects of sanctions in terms of external access to financial markets and new investment technology will linger," the fund said, summing up the findings of a mission in May.
Last year Western countries imposed restrictions that limit international financing for major Russian banks and energy companies, and also hi-tech exports to the energy sector. Russia retaliated by banning imports of most Western food products.
The fund estimated the immediate effect of sanctions and counter-sanctions had been to wipe between 1pc and 1.5pc off GDP, rising to 9pc over the next few years. These model-driven results were subject to significant uncertainty, it cautioned.
The IMF also forecast "weak" economic growth of around 1.5pc annually in the medium term. Russia's economy was growing around 7pc a year before the 2008 global financial crisis.
Read the entire article here
So it seems that Russian politician Maria Gaidar, who was recently appointed deputy governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, has been granted Ukrainian citizenship:
Here are some more details from our news desk about Maria Gaidar getting Ukrainian citizenship:
Russian politician Maria Gaidar, who was appointed as deputy governor of Ukraine’s Odesa region in mid-July, has received Ukrainian citizenship.
Ukraine's presidential press service said on August 4 that President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree granting citizenship to Gaidar before presenting her with a Ukrainian passport.
The governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, announced on July 17 the appointment of Gaidar as a deputy supervising social issues in Odesa.
Gaidar, 32, is the daughter of the late Yegor Gaidar, Russia’s reformist prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s.
She is a vocal critic of Yeltsin's successor, President Vladimir Putin.
Saakashvili, Georgian president from 2004 to 2013, has headed the Odesa region since May.
Poroshenko's government has appointed several foreigners to state posts after antigovernment protests toppled pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014.
(UNIAN, TASS)
Here's a map of the latest military situation in the Donbas region -- courtesy of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (click image to enlarge):
