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in the protests.
A wave of arson on military registration and enlistment offices was launched in Russia after the mobilisation announcement. In the week following the mobilisation announcement there were at least 11 such attempts; several administrative buildings have also been attacked. Arson on military registration and enlistment offices began after the invasion of Ukraine, but with less frequency: about 20 cases occurred in six months.
Russia’s top lobbying organisation the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) has slammed the government for breaching the principles of “social partnership” with the business community after an unmediated unilateral hike of employers' social security contributions in 2023-2025 budget, RBC business portal reported. As followed by bne IntelliNews, the government is steadily running into a tight fiscal squeeze as Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine swells the military budget, limits revenues due to sanctions, while social spending is maintained high to appease the population amid the mobilisation announced by President Vladimir Putin.
Kazakhstan won't recognize Russia's pseudo-referendums in Ukraine. Kazakhstan has no intention of recognizing Russia's sham referendums in Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, news agency KazTAG reported on Sept. 26, citing the spokesperson of Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry.
Serbia won’t recognize Russian annexation ‘referendums’ in occupied Ukrainian areas. Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said that Serbia, a country considered a close ally of Russia, would comply with international law and the UN Charter. “(The annexation referendums) completely contradict our state and national interests, our policy of dealing with territorial integrity, sovereignty and the principle of inviolability of borders," Selakovic said. The sham annexation referendums are being held in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
UK imposes sanctions on 92 individuals, entities over sham ‘referendums’ in Russian-occupied territories. The Sept. 26 statement by the U.K. government said sanctions primarily target top Russian officials linked to Russia’s sham “referendums” in Ukraine’s Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk oblasts. IMA Consulting, the agency conducting public campaigns for the pseudo-referendums, and Goznak, a security document company that has issued expedited passports in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories, are also sanctioned. The statement said Russia’s actions are a “clear violation of international law, including the UN charter.”
The new package of EU sanctions will not set a Russian oil price limit. In
32 RUSSIA Country Report October 2022 www.intellinews.com