Policy making

Russia should restructure economy through innovations and cannot isolate itself, say officials at Skolkovo meeting

The Russia’s government has signed an anti-crisis plan to restructure the economy in part through innovations, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told a meeting of regional officials on Wednesday. Russian news agency TASS reported that plan will require 1.375 trillion rubles (approximately $20 billion at the current exchange rate), including budget expenditures, state guarantees and …

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US high tech and payment firms blacklist Crimea

Russia’s absorption of the Crimea region in early 2014 continues to be a source of friction between Washington and Moscow. The issue was illustrated recently by several US firms which cut ties with the disputed territory altogether. Due to sanctions placed on the region last year by the US authorities, which include an export ban of …

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Russia blocks bitcoin websites over “shadow economy” fears

The Russian telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor has blocked access to five bitcoin-related websites because the cryptocurrency “contributes to the growth of the shadow economy.” The sites include Bitcoin.org, a primary community resource for the cryptocurrency that’s run by the Bitcoin Foundation, the Bitcoin.it community wiki, the Russian-language BTCsec.com security site, the London-incorporated Indacoin exchange, and Russian bitcoin community site Coinspot.ru — although the …

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