Russia has removed a report on a record drop in business confidence

The Higher School of Economics has removed an analytical report from its website that discussed a sharp decline in business confidence. The document, published on April 21, was available for less than a week—now only a message without a link remains, and the page containing the report no longer opens.

This is reported by Russian media.

The study noted that the retail business confidence index fell to minus 8 points in the first quarter—the lowest level since 2000. This figure exceeded the decline recorded during the 2008–2009 global financial crisis and even the period of lockdown restrictions.

Among the main problems, businesses cited rising taxes—this was noted by 43% of respondents, which is more than last year. Companies also complained about weak effective demand and a lack of financial resources.

Another top manager has died in Russia under mysterious circumstances.

The Center for Countering Disinformation reported that rumors circulating on hostile Telegram channels about the alleged murder of an employee of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center in Kharkiv are fake.

North Korea and Russia are planning long-termmilitary cooperation through 2031.