Citi: Back of the envelope calculation: Russian food import sanctions to add 1.9% to Russia CPI.
— Paweł Morski (@Pawelmorski) August 7, 2014
So that's Russian households average 1.9% poorer. US/EU sanctions couldn't manage that.
— Paweł Morski (@Pawelmorski) August 7, 2014
It seems moves are afoot in Kyiv to finally remove the last Maidan stragglers. But, as our news desk reports, the authorities are meeting with some resistance:
In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, demonstrators clashed today with city workers who were attempting to clear barricades and tents from the city's central Independence Square.
The protesters set fire to piles of tires and threw bottles and bricks at municipal workers.
Police and city workers eventually withdrew, leaving the situation unresolved.
The square -- known as the Maidan -- was the epicenter of massive antigovernment protests last winter which eventually saw the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Petro Poroshenko was elected as the country's new president in May, but several hundred protesters have remained on the square, saying they want to ensure the new government follows through on reforms.
Kyiv authorities have been negotiating with the protesters to clear the square since Vitali Klitschko was elected mayor in May.
(Reuters, ITAR-TASS, and AP)
And here's a video from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service of the clearance operations. It only has natural sound at the moment, but we'll be issuing an English version later today:
These #Russia sanctions on tasty foods may lead to flourishing black market in Moscow.
— Matthew Chance (@mchancecnn) August 7, 2014
Here is the latest English map of the situation in eastern Ukraine from the Natonal Security and Defense Council:
Here are some more details from our news desk on Moscow's food ban:
Russia says it is launching a "full embargo" on most food imports from the United States, the European Union, Australia, Canada, and Norway.
The embargo -- which will affect the import of beef, pork, poultry, fish, cheese, fruit, vegetables, milk, and dairy products -- is in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed against Moscow over its policy on Ukraine.
The moves were announced today by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev during televised remarks at a government meeting.
The ban is valid immediately and will last for one year.
The United States had said yesterday that any such move would only deepen Russia's isolation from the international community.
Medvedev said Russia is also considering banning Western air carriers from flying over Russia on flights to and from Asia.
Any such move that would significantly increase costs and lengthen flight times.
(Reuters, ITAR-TASS, AFP, AP)
Here's the banned food list from Russian government website.. http://t.co/bnu7hTkHfC
— Jason Corcoran (@jason_corcoran) August 7, 2014
Russia bans itself from eating Parmesan Cheese and Camembert in protest at corrupt state banks losing access to European capital markets.
— Ben Judah (@b_judah) August 7, 2014
Pro-Kremlin blogosphere is very excited about these sanctions feeling they will show US and EU who is boss. Anti-Kremlin crowd just laughing
— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) August 7, 2014
!!!BREAKING NEWS!!!
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree saying that Russia will ban imports of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, milk, and dairy from the U.S., the EU, Australia, Canada, and Norway for one year.
More to follow...
