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its new package of sanctions, which is to be approved next week, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 5, citing people familiar with the matter.
Switzerland has frozen Russian assets worth 7.5bn Swiss francs (about $7.95bn), the State Secretariat for the Economic Affairs of the country (SECO) announced on Thursday. "Up until 3 June, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) had been notified of existing deposits held by Russian nationals and natural persons and legal entities in Russia amounting to 46.1bn Swiss francs. As of 25 November, the total of frozen financial assets amounts to 7.5bn Swiss francs, 15 properties in 6 cantonnes are also blocked." SECO oversees blocking foreign deposits in Switzerland and periodically updates its statistics. The fact that Russian assets worth 7.5bn Swiss francs were frozen in Switzerland was first announced by SECO in early April. In July, Bern clarified that $6.7bn and 15 properties were blocked.
Hungary was against the price cap for the Russian crude oil and the embargo on its supplies and is satisfied with exceptions it managed to secure from EU restrictions effective since December 5, Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto said at the press conference with Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Kacer, streamed by the M1 TV Channel. "We struggled during talks [in the EU] on the Russian oil price cap and during oil embargo talks, and Hungary was therefore exempted from these measures," Szijjarto said. Hungary is receiving the bulk of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline and does not see alternatives to that, because other sources and routes cannot provide feedstock deliveries in sufficient quantities," the Minister noted. "We do not want Hungary’s energy supplies to be at risk," he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law completely banning propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations, gender reassignment and pedophilia, according to a corresponding entry made in the Russian State Duma (lower parliament database) on December 4. Amendments have been made to the law on information, information technologies and information protection and to other documents. Under the new law, such propaganda is now completely prohibited on social networks, in the mass media, films and advertisements.
LGBT activist Pyotr Voskresensky set up a pop-up museum showcasing Russian-made gay art in his St. Petersburg apartment. The exhibition is a direct response to the new LGBT propaganda bill passed by the State Duma on Wednesday. Under the new, more stringent law, “LGBT propaganda” will be punishable with fines of up to 400,000 rubles ($6,500) for individuals and 5 million rubles ($80,000) for organisations.
32 RUSSIA Country Report January 2023 www.intellinews.com