The Kremlin’s claim that there are no oligarchs in Russia has resonated with only 3 percent of the population, according to a state-run poll that also named Roman Abramovich the most famous Russian oligarch.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov took offense at the term “oligarchs” last week ahead of a new wave of U.S. sanctions against Russian tycoons that sent the ruble and Russian markets into a two-day tailspin this week.
An overwhelming 94 percent of Russians surveyed by the state-controlled VTsIOM pollster said that they believe that their country does have oligarchs. Just under 45 percent said oligarchs “bring more harm” than good to Russia while 9 percent said they “bring more benefits.”

A Russian television channel has instructed viewers to stock up on food and water in case a war breaks out with the United States, playing on fears that a U.S.-led airstrike against Moscow’s ally Syria could lead to a military escalation.
The United States and its allies are considering whether to hit Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack that international organizations say killed dozens of people in the rebel-held town of Douma on Saturday. Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon said Tuesday that Russia reserves the right to shoot down U.S. missiles and target launch sites in case of an airstrike.

Russian prosecutors have apologized to a farmer who was accused of espionage after he bought GPS trackers for his stray cattle.
Yevgeny Vasilyev, 39, faced up to 4 years behind bars after security officers in the Urals region of Kurgan detained him in the act of receiving a delivery of GPS trackers from China last year. The case was dropped due to lack of evidence in March 2018, months after a journalist asked about the farmer during President Vladimir Putin’s end-of-year press conference.

The Russian men’s national football team has dropped to a historic low 66th place in FIFA’s latest ranking ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia this summer.
With 11 cities preparing to host the tournament between June and July, a mere 5 percent of recently surveyed Russians said they believed in the country’s chances of winning the trophy on home turf.
The Russian men’s squad dropped three spots to 66th in FIFA’s rating released on Thursday, having lost friendlies to both Brazil and France last month.

Schools in Moscow are set to introduce drug tests among eighth graders to battle addiction among young people, Moscow authorities announced on Thursday.
The Moscow City Hall’s department of regional security said that it had identified 29 young drug users as part of a pilot program last year administering drug tests to 10th graders and first-year vocational school students at 600 schools. Last year, the Russian Interior Ministry estimated that over 2 million Russians regularly used recreational drugs.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday sanctions-hit Russian companies that have fallen into difficulties should receive support from the state to help them retain staff.
The U.S. Treasury on April 6 announced sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs and 12 companies they own or control, saying they were profiting from a Russian state engaged in “malign activities” around the world.
Medvedev also told a government meeting broadcast by state TV that “silly military statements heard from NATO countries have added to uncertainty on markets”.

Russia’s 50 richest businessmen have reportedly lost close to $12 billion in the days after the United States imposed a new wave of sanctions against individuals and companies close to the Kremlin.
The United States imposed major sanctions on Friday against Russian businessmen, companies and government officials, striking at allies of President Vladimir Putin in one of Washington’s most aggressive moves to punish Moscow for its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and other “malign activity.”

The Red Cross has collected 14 million rubles ($245,000) in donations for the families of the victims of the deadly shopping mall fire in Russia’s coal-producing region of Kemerovo.
Forty-one children are thought to be among the 64 people killed in the fire that swept through the Winter Cherry shopping center in Kemerovo on Sunday. Russia’s top investigator told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that a short-circuit is among the leading theories of the tragic incident.