The Government of the Russian Federation approved on Monday a list of foreign states and territories that commit unfriendly actions against Russia, its companies, and citizens.
The list includes the United States and Canada, the EU states, the UK (including Jersey, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar), Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, North Macedonia, and also Japan, South Korea, Australia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan (considered a territory of China, but ruled by its own administration since 1949).
The countries and territories mentioned in the list imposed or joined the sanctions against Russia after the start of a special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine.
The list also comes following a presidential decree on 5 March, which allowed the Russian government, companies, and citizens to temporarily pay foreign currency debts owed to overseas creditors from “unfriendly countries” in roubles.
To make such payments, the government said debtors should open a special type of rouble account with a Russian bank and transfer into it the rouble equivalent of the foreign currency amount owed according to the central bank’s official exchange rate on the day of payment.
This temporary arrangement for paying foreign debts applies to payments exceeding 10 million roubles ($76,046) a month. ($1 = 131.5000 roubles)
