Breaking news for the weekend March 18-19

Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 18, the day of the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea, visited the peninsula, where he took part in the opening of a children’s art school and a branch of Artek, and then went on a business trip to Donbass. In the Donetsk People’s Republic, the head of state visited Mariupol. There he listened to the report of Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin on the restoration of the city and talked with local residents. Then the president made an unscheduled visit to the command post of the special operation in Rostov-on-Don, where he met with the commander of the joint group, the head of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

On the evening of March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian children’s rights ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova. The court ruled that they were “allegedly responsible for war crimes related to the illegal deportation of the population (children)”. US President Joe Biden said the ICC’s decision was “justified”. German Justice Minister Marco Buschman believes that the ICC will contact Interpol in the near future in connection with the accusations against Vladimir Putin. According to the minister, Berlin will then have to arrest Mr. Putin if he decides to visit Germany. In addition to Germany and the United States, the International Criminal Court warrant extends to another 121 states.

On March 18, the laws signed by President Vladimir Putin were published:

• on imprisonment for discrediting voluntary formations;
• on termination of citizenship of Ukraine after filing an application with the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
• on imprisonment for up to 12 years for illegal export of weapons;
• on fines for distributing ammunition manufacturing instructions;
• on termination of criminal cases on tax crimes in case of payment of a fine;
• about purchases in foreign online stores in the amount of up to 15 thousand rubles. without personal identification.

The second largest Swiss financial conglomerate Credit Suisse, which is experiencing great financial difficulties, may move to the leader of the Swiss market UBS or be nationalized. The deal with UBS is valued at up to $1 billion, well below the market value of Credit Suisse. In the event of a merger between UBS and Credit Suisse, one of the largest global systemically important financial institutions will emerge in Europe: UBS assets – $1.1 trillion, Credit Suisse – $575 billion. The Swiss Central Bank insists that the deal be closed before trading starts on Monday, March 20.

Pavel Kosov, one of the founders of the Moscow bars Underdog and La Virgen, announced that he was leaving the project team. The reason was the searches and detentions of visitors and bar employees late in the evening of March 17. In the summer of 2022, Mr. Kosov gave explanations to law enforcement officials in connection with the information that appeared about the charity vinyl record market in support of the Kyiv Angels (“Angels of Kyiv”) team, which helps those in need in Ukraine. Cash registers were seized during the searches. Bars are checked on suspicion of financing the armed forces of Ukraine.