The Russian government agrees with businessmen an additional contribution to the budget
The Russian government reached an agreement with the country’s businessmen so that they make an additional contribution to the state budget through tax instruments, which registers a deficit after considerably increasing spending in January in the framework of the military campaign in Ukraine.
“Special amendments to the tax law will be drawn up, and most likely the contribution (from companies) will be in the form of taxes on the increase in financial results of the last years,” Russian Finance Minister Anton said. Siluanov.
The search for additional income by the Government intensified after a budget deficit of 1.76 trillion rubles (about 24,000 million dollars) was registered in the first month of the year, which represents 60% of that expected for all of 2023, attributed to spending on the Russian military campaign in Ukraine.
Siluanov indicated that despite everything, Russia will maintain the budget deficit target of 2% for 2023.
Russia denounces a Ukrainian attack in the Kursk region
Russia denounced a Ukrainian attack against two towns in the Kursk border region, while loud explosions were heard in the Belgorod province, which also shares a border with Ukraine.
“Ukrainian Armed Forces fired today at two border villages in the Sudzhansky district – Gornal and Guevo,” Kursk Governor Roman Starovoit wrote.
He maintained that at least 15 projectiles fell in the vicinity of these two towns, although there were no victims or damage.
In turn, the governor of Belgorod, Viacheslav Gladkov, reported on the VKontakte social network that residents of the region woke up at night due to “strong explosions.” “Our air defense worked. So far there is no information on deaths and injuries,” he said.
Both regions have denounced frequent attacks that the authorities have attributed to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Chinese president to make speech for peace in Ukraine on war anniversary
Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech for peace in Ukraine on the occasion of the anniversary of the start of the war after the invasion of Russia, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani revealed today after meeting in Rome with the head of Chinese foreign policy, Wang Yi.
In the meeting with the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC), who is touring Europe, Tajani asked him “that China exert pressure on Russia to sit down at a negotiating table “, he indicated in radio statements to the public channel RAI.
And he announced that at the meeting held last night he was informed that the Chinese president will deliver “a peace speech” on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24.
Tajani assured that Wang insisted in the conversation that “China wants peace”, while the head of diplomacy and vice president of the Italian Government wished that “the country finally put real pressure on Russia, using its great influence”.
One person dies in an explosion at a Russian defense industry factory
One person was killed and three were injured in an explosion at a defense industry factory in Russia’s Samara region in southwestern Russia. “In one of the workshops of the Chapaevski Mechanical Plant, an explosive detonated, there was no fire. One person was killed, three were injured,” the emergency services said.
The factory produces a wide range of detonators, pyrotechnic relays, detonating cords, shaped charges, sealed explosive cartridges, explosive emulsion cartridges.
It is unknown at the moment if it is a sabotage or an accident.
The Kommersant newspaper said a company source said law enforcement agencies are currently investigating what happened.
kyiv urges civilians to abandon Bakhmut
Ukraine on Friday urged the around 6,000 civilians who, according to its calculations, still remain in Bakhmut to immediately leave the city, which has been the target of continuous attacks by Russian forces.
“They must immediately evacuate” the city, where “enemy artillery” is attacking residential areas, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on her Telegram channel.
In the last day alone, five civilians were killed and nine wounded in those attacks, added Vereshchuk, who was surprised that 6,000 civilians still remain there.
Bakhmut is one of the strongholds of Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk region and is considered the key to access Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the largest cities in the region controlled by Kiev forces. Therefore, its conquest is one of the main current objectives of the Russian troops.
Ukrainians claim to have shot down a Russian drone in Crimea
Russian anti-aircraft defense shot down another drone allegedly used by Ukraine to attack a thermoelectric plant belonging to the port city of Sevastopol, on Ukraine’s annexed Crimean peninsula.
“Early today in the morning, in the area of the Balaklava thermoelectric power plant, the air defense forces shot down a drone. There is no damage to the plant, which is operating normally,” Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev wrote on Telegram.
The day before, the politician imposed by Russia in the annexed city also denounced a Ukrainian attack with drones in the Sevastopol area and in other areas of the sea that bathes the Crimean peninsula. The anti-aircraft defense also shot them down, Razvozhaev assured.
Since last August, the Crimean authorities have denounced Ukrainian drone attacks in different parts of the peninsula.