Russia Roundup: Regrouped troops, Gaza evacuation, salary indexation

Regrouped troops

The Russian Ministry of Defence has labelled information in the media about the regrouping of Russian troops in the Dnieper region to advantageous positions as false. “The sending of a false message about the “regrouping” of troops in the Dnieper region, allegedly on behalf of the press centre of the Russian Ministry of Defence, is a provocation,” the Russian Ministry of Defence told Russian news channel RBC.

Gaza evacuation

The first batch of Russian citizens left the Gaza Strip on Sunday. A representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Vladimirovna, in a live radio show on Russian channel Komsomolskaya Pravda said that about 70 Russian citizens have been evacuated from Gaza. "About 70 people have left, according to the lists that were generated, initially there were more than a thousand people who signed up for evacuation. Now the Ministry of Emergency Situations is working with those released. And this joint work will continue," she said.

Salary indexation

The Russian State Duma Committee has recommended a bill to suspend salary indexation provisions until January 1, 2025. The bill, approved by deputies in the first reading, includes provisions for civil servants, judges, parliamentary assistants, police officers, military personnel, and employees of various services. However, at the second reading, the relevant committee supported the amendments, stating that military personnel and employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Federal Customs Service, internal affairs bodies and the State Fire Service would not be suspended, local media Moskovskij Komsomolets reported.

Labelling of canned food

The Russian government has decided to start labelling canned food to eradicate counterfeit goods, which are being found in large quantities. It is intended to begin as an experiment on December 1, 2023, and from September 1, 2024, it will become a requirement for all businesses, local media Izvestia reported. This decision will affect certain supermarket product categories, such as chips, crackers, nachos, and sauces, as well as meat products, meat by-products, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and berries. Breadcrumbs, vanilla crumbs, and baby food up to one year old are suggested to be excluded from the pilot experiment, according to Izvestia.

Sports nationality switch

Eight-time ski orienteering world champion, Andrei Lamov has changed his Russian nationality to Swedish. The vice-president of Russia’s orienteering federation, Viktor Elizarov announced this sports nationality switch. He is quoted by Moskovskij Komsomolets saying,“ Andrey Lamov will now play for Sweden, he has lived in Sweden for many years and his wife is Swedish.”