© AP Photo/Alastair Grant Pool/TASS

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, September 9th, prepared by TASS

Vedomosti: Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96

The official notice of Queen Elizabeth II’s death was placed to the railings of Buckingham Palace on the evening of September 8. An earlier report by the press staff of Buckingham Palace revealed that the Queen’s health sharply deteriorated. Members of the British royal family rushed to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to say their final goodbyes, including heir Prince Charles, his son Prince William, and Prince Andrew. Elizabeth passed away with her family by her side, the press service later reported. According to experts interviewed by Vedomosti, the future of the monarchy as an institution will be heavily influenced by the public's reaction to the reign of King Charles III.

According to recent polls, more than 62% of Britons support preserving the monarchy, but conservatives and members of the older generation are more likely to hold this view, Research Fellow at Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs/Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics Sergey Shein told the newspaper. According to the expert, support for the monarchy has been on the decline in recent years, and this trend is particularly visible among young people. In the short term, consolidation among the public is expected in the event of a change in the monarchy, since this will be a major shock that will contribute to national unity, Shein argues.

But, in the medium and long term, a lot hinges on how society perceives the late Queen’s successor, King Charles III. The analyst feels that it is not impossible for the UK to face discussions over the monarchy's future.

According to Elena Ananyeva, who heads the Center for British Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the monarchy will continue to live on, since it is deeply ingrained in the legal system of the United Kingdom. The change of the monarch will not result in either a succession crisis or a rejection of the institution of the monarchy as a whole, according to the expert, because the country's political structure is not prepared for it, despite recent criticism.

Vedomosti: New authorities of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions ready to declare accession to Russia on November 4

Accession of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) to Russia can be carried out without holding referendums, head of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov wrote on his Telegram channel. According to him, this is a logical decision, given that not many people recognized the results of the Crimean referendum in 2014. First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Andrey Turchak said that the referenda "will definitely take place this year." He clarified that the most proper decision would be to hold them on November 4 - Unity Day. He did not specify which territories should be affected by the referendum, Vedomosti writes.

According to Vedomosti's source close to the presidential administration, Turchak announced the date that everyone involved in the preparation of referendums is guided by. When assessing Aksyonov’s statement, it is important to understand that no one is going to abandon the very idea of integrating the territories, he notes.

Earlier, a source close to the administration of one of the regions of the Central Federal District told Vedomosti that in the event of a referendum in the territories where a military operation was carried out, voting sites could be opened in the Russian Federation. In this case, citizens of Ukraine who have moved to the country with temporary or permanent registration will be able to vote in the referendum, he explained.

Izvestia: South Africa won’t impose sanctions against Russia

South Africa will not join the anti-Russian sanctions, because the country pursues an independent policy, Foreign Ministry spokesman told Izvestia. According to him, the upcoming visit of the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Washington on September 16 to meet with his US counterpart Joe Biden will in no way affect its relations with Moscow. Nevertheless, some companies in South Africa still refused to cooperate with Russia against the backdrop of sanctions, Izvestia was told at the Russian embassy.

According to the diplomat, South Africa pursues an independent foreign policy that is not influenced by other countries. "Our foreign policy is based on our national interests, not external pressure," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Pretoria confirmed to Izvestia that a number of companies in South Africa refused to cooperate with Russia due to the sanctions imposed by the West. "South Africa adheres to a balanced position on the situation around Ukraine. At the same time, some foreign companies operating in South Africa have joined the Western sanctions, which creates certain difficulties. However, South Africa, as a country, has not joined the anti-Russian sanctions. We expect that [our] South African partners will continue to adhere to the balanced line they have chosen," the embassy said.

South Africa’s neutral stance is largely due to the support that the USSR provided the country during the Cold War, Professor Irina Filatova of the National Research University Higher School of Economics explained to Izvestia. "The current leadership of South Africa has long-standing historical ties with Russia, and relations are colored by the memory of its past support for the USSR, the country fully associates present-day Russia with the Soviet Union," she pointed out.

Kommersant: European Central Bank introduces record rate hike amid surging inflation

The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday unanimously raised the key rate by 75 basis points at once to 1.25% per annum. This ‘jumbo’ rate hike is a record-setting one-time tightening of monetary policy. Analysts were anticipating an increase of 50 points, Kommersant writes.

The regulator announced several more rounds of rate increases at the next meetings in order to curb inflation, which accelerated in the Eurozone to a record-breaking 9.1% in August due to rising energy and food prices amid Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.

The post-pandemic recovery in the Eurozone in the first half of 2022 has already given way to a significant slowdown, which is forecast to stagnate towards the end of 2022 and into the first half of 2023. The weakness of the euro against the dollar remains a separate problem for the European regulator. The large share of dollar-denominated contracts for energy supplies adds a conversion component to the rise in energy costs.

The ECB’s monetary policy remains important for Russia, both for its export revenues and for citizens who have spent more than 600 bln rubles ($9.88 bln) on the purchase of foreign currency (mainly euro and largely withdrawn to foreign accounts) in recent months. Russia also continues to supply Europe with energy, food and fertilizers - and their exporters are interested in the strengthening of the euro.

Izvestia: EU enters heating season amid soaring energy prices

The rise in electricity prices in the Eurozone is seriously denting peoples’ wallets, despite government support, local residents told Izvestia. European experts admit the rising protest movements in EU states are due to the energy crisis. Despite the fact that the continent-wide bloc filled gas storage facilities to 80% ahead of schedule, some countries have already adopted national austerity measures, and some have even had to impose additional taxes on electricity.

On the last day of summer, Gazprom suspended Nord Stream traffic due to repairs, and on September 2, it froze it completely for an indefinite period. The European Commission called this decision "cynical", and started working on setting a price cap for Russian gas.

"By the summer of 2022, electricity prices for German households had already risen by 40% and gas prices by more than 75%. The aid packages that have been adopted are not enough," German MEP Gunnar Beck explained to Izvestia. According to him, Germany also does not have the capacity for long-term gas storage. Even if the existing tanks are 100% full, their capacities will last for a maximum of one or two winter months, he added.

Meanwhile, on September 7, the Dutch government announced it would allow several cities, including The Hague, to continue gas supply contracts with Gazprom's German subsidiary until at least January 1.

France has already spent more than 26 bln euro to keep gas and electricity bills affordable, Izvestia writes. "The government is preparing a law on cost compensation for enterprises. These measures are already costing France 1% of GDP," Jacques Sapir, Director of the Center for Research on Industrialization Models at the Higher School of Social Sciences (France), told Izvestia. According to him, France will be able to pull through the winter without gas supplies from Russia, but if Paris supplies gas to Germany or Italy, then the situation will be very tense by the end of June 2023.

Spain's gas storage facilities are 84% full, and the country is the least dependent on Russian gas supplies. However, the situation is complicated by fragile cooperation in the energy sector between Spain and Algeria.