Russia is not currently considering the extension of a USD 500m loan to Belarus on a bilateral basis, the Mayak radio station reported today citing Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin. Russia was expected to provide USD 500m to Belarus to minimize

The Russian national currency has firmed considerably towards the end of the third quarter. In the ruble's rate against the basket of two currencies, September saw the largest monthly rise ever since the basket was introduced - nearly 5 percent.

The unified customs duty on heavy and light oil products may take effect beginning January 1, 2010, Deputy Economy Minister of Russia Andrei Slepnev told journalists today. "There has certainly been some progress on the matter, but the final decision

The Central Bank's revised estimate puts Russia's foreign debt at $475.6bn as of July 1, 2009, up from $447.1bn as of April 1, 2009, showing an increase in debt by 6.37 percent in the second quarter. The debt raised by