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Posted

The problem for Lada is that, despite protectionist measures from the Russian government, russians not only won't buy Ladas but they actually have a huge amount of contempt for their domestic products.

Russian comedians make jokes about Ladas in the same way Jasper Carrott used to make jokes about Skodas and even the new models have a reputation for being dreadful, especially the Kalina which failed an NCAP crash test in spectacular fashion.

Ladas are now cheaper in Russia than foreign competitors, due largely to the recently imposed import tarifs. The russians I know would still rather buy a 5 year old VW than a new Lada for the same money. Actually they would rather have a 20 year old VW than a new Lada.

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Posted
10 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

russians not only won't buy Ladas

Your goal is to lie in every message, or what?

Lada is the top sold brand among new cars.

Looking at cumulative data up to December 2024 brand-wise, Lada dominated with 440,878 sales (+25%)

Looking at the best selling models, the leader was the Lada Granta with sales down 1.7% followed by the Lada Vesta (+134.1%) and the Chevrolet Niva(+29.3%).

https://www.focus2move.com/russian-autos-market/

 

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Posted

MEMRI take on Russian economy

 

https://www.memri.org/reports/how-russian-economy-has-reacted-peace-talks


 

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Russian businesses and investors prefer peace above war even while some experts believe otherwise. The reaction to the first signs of rapprochement between President Putin and President Trump was positive since the vast majority of Russian entrepreneurs know quite well that the ongoing conflict is squeezing resources from the country's economy and undermines any prospects for further development – even the Kremlin is generally right when it believes the Russian economy can provide adequate finances, armaments, and people needed for the war, for another several years. Business is more flexible in its projections and so it catches up much faster with the changing reality.

All of the above suggests that in the coming months one should be very aware of the changing mood of Russian business since it seemingly provides perfect estimates of how the political decisions might resonate in Russian society. As in recent days President Trump and his team started to almost take Russia's side in the showdown between Moscow and Kyiv, accusing President Zelensky of many wrongdoings and claiming he has lost his legitimacy,[25] the Russian stock market indexes has resumed their rally on February 20 while the ruble rate has reached 90.4 to the dollar – but, to my mind, these fluctuations are just small "aftershocks" following the main news, and the new direction will be determined with the course of the dialogue on the top level, were it to happen.[26] But, to conclude, I would reiterate: Russian business these days has no fear of peace – quite the contrary: It would welcome it with great enthusiasm.

 

 

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Posted

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/01/30/7496040/

 

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Tighter lending requirements in banks are pushing more Russians to take out payday loans with interest rates as high as 292% annually.

Source: The Moscow Times, citing another Russian media outlet RBC

Details: In December, 70% of new loans were issued by microfinance organisations (MFOs), compared to 47.4% a year earlier. 

 

The share of microloans in the overall credit structure has also grown significantly. In December, MFO products accounted for 13.6% of total loans issued in Russia, up from just 3.9% at the end of 2023.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, MFO loans reached 62.7% of all loans by number and 8.7% by volume. The Russian Central Bank reported that from January to September 2024, MFOs issued loans worth RUB 1.26 trillion (approximately US$12.8 billion), a 23.3% increase from the previous year.

Background:

  • Consumer loan interest rates in Russian banks ranged from 25% to 38% annually at the beginning of November 2024. However, by 19 November, the maximum rate had risen to 44%.
  • Meanwhile, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is reportedly increasingly concerned about the challenges facing Russia’s wartime economy, just as Donald Trump continues to push for an end to the war in Ukraine.

 

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Posted

Why its difficult to hold a Ukrainian Presidential election in areas occupied by Russia:

 

https://cepa.org/article/behind-the-lines-ethnic-cleansing-by-home-loan/


 

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Moscow’s banks first started offering subsidized home loans to encourage Russians to colonize Crimea after its annexation, then the program was extended to other occupied territories following the full-scale invasion.  

And as the occupiers seek to step up their drive to sideline local people and Russify Ukraine, they have expanded the categories eligible for cut-price mortgages to include all those who participated in the war on Russia’s side and some specific professions. But not Ukrainians. 

When the home loans were introduced to Crimea in 2019, a workaround to avoid Western sanctions meant someone wanting to buy property had to register in Krasnodar Krai — in Russia — use a Sberbank subsidiary to search for real estate on the peninsula, then travel again to the bank’s branch at Krasnodar Krai to collect their official documents.  

After the full-scale invasion, Sberbank lost its assets in Europe and refocused on the domestic market. Not hiding anymore, it opened ATMs and its first branches in Crimea in 2023.  

A similar process is happening in other Ukrainian territories controlled by Russia. At least four Russian banks are now working there — VTB, Sberbank, Promsvyazbank, and Rostfinance.  

Since 2023, Russia has offered 2% mortgages for newly built homes in the occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. With Russia’s benchmark interest rate set at 21%, and rampant inflation undercutting the value of any loans, it’s a massive discount.  

In March 2024, the program was expanded to include resale property for selected groups of people.

While all Russian citizens can get the cut-price mortgages for new properties in occupied Ukraine, loans for resale homes are limited to those involved in Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” and their families. Preferential mortgages are also available for teachers, doctors, cultural workers, and employees of state service— including the FSB, National Guard, and Ministry of Internal Affairs — who are working in occupied areas. 

Russian authorities have set up a portal to explain the program, which makes clear the loans are only available for properties in occupied Ukraine. Many people engaged in the war have asked if they can get the massive discount for properties in Russia as well, but are told they can’t. 

With mortgages issued by VTB for properties in Russia close to 30%, the 2% mortgages in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are by far the lowest rates the bank offers. 

 

 

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