Politico-Economic Results in July 2014

Abstract

In July 2014, against the backdrop of an escalating conflict in Ukraine and the crash of a civilian passenger airliner in the active combat zone there, the OECD’s sanctions against Russia were severely toughened. A ban was imposed on the issuance of long-term loans (for periods over 90 days) to Russian public and private companies, along with an embargo on any new military contracts and supplies of dual-use products. However, these sanctions of the European Union are only temporary – for a period of three months – and they may be lifted if the situation in Ukraine returns to normal. The results of candidates’ registration in preparation for the forthcoming single voting day in September 2014 point to dramatically reduced opportunities for candidates from the opposition to participate in the elections, which is true not only for representatives of the radical opposition, but also for some systemic parties.

Keywords: Russian economy

JEL Classification: K0, K1, K4, D73, D74