NO MORE HELP FROM AMERICA
Novaya Gazeta, February 6, 2003, p. 4
The United States is planning to gradually reduce the financial aid program for Russia due to the strengthening of the Russian economy. In 2004, Russia will receive 32% less money than in 2003. Further on, the financial aid will cease completely.
The US government is providing financial aid to Russia through the АМР – USAID, the International Monetary Fund, and a number of other programs.
Alexei Novikov, an analytical director of the Standard&Poors Russia agency said in his interview with our correspondent that there is nothing bad about aid reduction. “There are many countries in the world which are in a much more difficult situation than Russia. The American authorities will simply focus financial currents in different directions, where they are more important.”
Head of the Bank of Moscow Analytical department Kirill Tremasov thinks that “it must be a reverence to US taxpayers”. He reminds that one of Bush’s election program clause was reduction of financial expenses outside the US, including aiding to developing countries. Now, when the situation in the US economy is rather complicated, the reduction of financial aid to the third-work countries seems to be quite natural.
RUSSIA IN FIGURES
Kommersant-Vlast, February 3, 2003, p. 8
Private capital flight from Russia in 2002 was $12 billion. In 2001, this index was $16 billion.
In January-November 2002, 34,800 Russian enterprises and companies worked with 224.2 billion rubles losses, or 4.8% more than in the same period last year.
In 2002, the real incomes of the Russian population grew by 8.8%. According to the State Statistics Committee, the average income in December 2002, made up 5678 rubles in Russia, while an average salary was 5868 rubles.
In 2002, the International aviation committee in Russia registered 21 accidents with civil aircraft, or 22% fewer than in 2001. One hundred thirty one people died in seven aircraft disasters, against 218 people in 2001.
In 2002, 56% of all Russian exports were fuel and energy exports; ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy sector exports made up 15%; machinery and equipment sector exports reached 7.7%; chemical industry exports were 6.5%; and woodwork and paper industries exports made up 4.9%.
Russian agricultural enterprises have 170 billion rubles overdue debts; overall, the debts of Russia’s agrarian sector are 350 billion rubles.
According to the main presidential monitoring department, the annual turnover of pirated medicines in Russia is estimated at $200 million, or 7% of the general medicine turnover.
Over the past ten years, around 75,000 Russian women have left for the US on “fiancee visas”, in order to marry US residents.
NEMTSOV OR YAVLINSKY?
Kommersant-Vlast, February 3, 2003, p. 8
Whom would you like to see as leader of a bloc made up of Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces: Boris Nemtsov or Grigory Yavlinsky? (%)
Grigory Yavlinsky – 25
Boris Nemtsov – 20
Neither – 15
Other politician – 6
Both – 4
Unsure – 30
VTsIOM poll, 1,600 respondents, January 2003.
ARMS EXPORTS
Kommersant-Vlast, February 3, 2003, p. 8
In 2002, Russia’s proceeds from weapon exports reached $4.7 billion. Annually, Russia receives around $33 billion from oil exports. Compared to 2001, proceeds from weapon exports in 2002 grew by 27% overrunning the GDP growth by 6.8 times. If Russia continues developing weapon exports with the same speed, in nine years this sector will bring more money to the budget than oil exports. One of the most expensive products of Russian exports is an aircraft – the average cost of Su-27 planes is $864 per kilo – a plane weighing 25 tons is sold for $22 million. Helicopters are exported at $533 per kilo; destroyers cost $127 per kilo; a tank costs $86; and a kilogram of a Russian submarine costs $83.
To compare, Russian oil is exported at $0.22 per kilogram; black caviar costs $600 per kilo on the world’s markets; gold costs $11,620 per kilogram.
