FM Spox Zakharova Confirms Evidence of US Meddling in Duma Elections

LOCAL NEWS

• Russian FM Spox Zakharova confirms "colossal amount" of unreleased information regarding US meddling in Russian elections ahead of this weekend's vote.
  • Notes that many of the IP addresses associated with the 'smart voting' app are located in the US and that the developers have connections to the pentagon
• Lavrov says he expects attempts to attack Nord Stream 2 to continue. Notes all works have been completed on the Russian side, but the process of obtaining necessary permits from the German regulator is a slow one with the target date in early 2022
• Treasury proposes revisions to pricing in government orders by introducing a mechanism for economic justification of the final contract price. This implies separate accounting for suppliers' costs for raw materials, wages, taxes and fees - the emergence of the so-called reference expense declaration.
  • This is expected to reduce unjustified overpricing of contracts, minimize tax violations and contribute to the whitewashing of the labor market
• Levada Deputy Head says ahead of Duma elections there's very little sign of major protests this time around.
  • Says although "There's a relatively high level of dissatisfaction but the repressive tactics are successful in keeping people off the streets." Some polls put the ruling party's popularity as low as 27%.
  • Still, the Kremlin is seeking to get about 45% of the party-list vote, squeezing independent competitors off the ballot and keeping turnout down to ensure the impact of loyalist voters among state workers and pensioners

Data/Events

• Finance ministry auctions July 2031 & May 2041 Fixed-coupon OFZ bonds
• 1100BST: CBR deputy Gov Shvetsov speaks at banking conference in Sochi