Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, August 11th, prepared by TASS

Izvestia: Taliban may wrap up military campaign to score political points

The Extended Troika on Afghanistan gathered for talks in Qatar’s capital of Doha on August 10. Representatives of Russia, the United States, China and Pakistan, as well as of the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) and the Kabul government, came together for the third time in the past year. The meeting comes amid the Taliban’s rapid advance across Afghanistan. Experts interviewed by Izvestia believe that the Taliban aren’t ready to wrap up their military campaign because they haven’t yet achieved the strategic superiority that will allow them to ensure control of the conquered areas.

According to Director of Russia’s Center for Contemporary Afghan Studies Omar Nessar, the main question at the Troika meeting is how to reduce the level of violence in the country. It’s important for the Taliban to gain a foothold in the areas they have seized so they currently have no reason to discuss a ceasefire. If the Taliban’s progress slows and the Afghan army starts retaking territories, the movement may signal that it’s possibly ready to make compromises and give in to the Troika’s decisions, the expert noted.

The Taliban are speaking from the position of force so they will try to bargain better ceasefire terms, Senior Research Fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies Vladimir Sotnikov pointed out. "The outcome of the talks directly depends on the situation on the battlefield. The Taliban seized seven major towns in the past five days," the expert added.

A ceasefire will be possible if the Taliban start to feel that they are unable to continue their military activities, but this is not currently the case, Muhammad Ismail, a professor at the University of Peshawar in Pakistan, told the newspaper.

"Moscow seeks to establish an anti-terrorist front together with Central Asian countries, joint military drills have just been held in Uzbekistan. On the whole, Russia calls on Kabul and the Taliban to weigh up all possibilities to continue the peace process. This is why Russia is in a position of advantage, we have been consistently advocating peaceful dialogue, while the Americans prefer to use force," Sotnikov emphasized.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Kiev working on military scenarios against Moscow

Kiev has launched military drills across Ukraine in response to the large-scale exercises that kicked off in southern Russia on Monday. Ukrainian Defense Minister Andrei Taran said that the country needed to ensure full combat readiness to be able to counter "the Russian aggression," Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

There are no details yet as to what military scenarios against Moscow Kiev is working on. Meanwhile, Ukraine is currently hosting an anti-mine diving exercise on the Black Sea, which involves Georgia, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Romania and the United States. Moreover, US Army Special Forces troops have arrived in Ukraine’s Vinnitsa region to take part in month-long joint drills with the Ukrainian special operations forces. Notably, the Ukrainian-US drills will be held at the same time as the Russian-Belarusian exercise Zapad-2021 (or West-2021).

Military expert Lieutenant General Yuri Netkachev is confident that military scenarios may be implemented if Kiev dares to use force to end the so-called "occupation" of the densely populated areas in Crimea and Donbass. The general believes that Russia’s Defense Ministry will give a proper response to such actions. According to him, "the drills that began in Russia’s south on August 9 are proof of that." The drills, which involve the Southern Military District’s troops, the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla, will last for over a month, until September 15.

"These are routine drills that are taking place during every training period. They hardly have aggressive goals," Netkachev noted. "However, it’s no big secret that Ukraine, the United States and other NATO countries have aggressive plans for Russia. So our armed forces certainly need to learn to counter these plans," the expert stressed.

Izvestia: Russia marks one year since registration of world’s first coronavirus vaccine

On August 11, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the registration of the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, developed by Russia’s Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology with the support of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). So far, the medication has been approved in 69 countries with a total population of over 3.7 bln, Izvestia notes.

"The creation of Sputnik V is a great achievement for the Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology and Russian science in general," said Alexander Butenko, a department chief at the Gamaleya center. "According to various indicators, it is the best existing vaccine. A July publication in the Vaccines international journal presented more proof of that. The authors of the article tested Sputnik V against new coronavirus strains and it was revealed that it produces antibodies against all mutations," he specified.

Sputnik V provided impetus not only for the country’s research activities but also for the pharmaceutical industry. "Seven sites have begun producing the vaccine since it has been registered," a source at the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade told the newspaper. "They are increasing production and their production capacity in order to meet the country’s demand," the source added.

"Vaccine production was launched quickly and was later increased at several sites at once," RNC Pharma Development Director Nikolai Bespalov emphasized. "Vaccine deliveries to the Russian and foreign markets began, and Russia’s pharmaceutical exports grew manifold thanks to Sputnik V deliveries," he said.

In January 2021, the RDIF applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Sputnik V’s approval. So far, only a few European countries have registered the Russian vaccine, one of them being San Marino. The European Commission recognizes vaccination certificates issued in San Marino but is in no hurry to approve Sputnik V. "Europe supports its own pharmaceutical industry and has no reason to allow foreigners to enter its market," Bespalov noted.

Vedomosti: Russia’s Alrosa ramps up diamond sales amid market shortage

Russia’s Alrosa diamond producer has increased its sales 14-fold in July 2021 compared to the same month last year, the company reported. Alrosa’s rough diamond sales reached $2.55 bln in the first seven months of the year, which is 2.6 times more than in the same period of 2021, Vedomosti writes.

The rise in sales stems from high demand from the diamond-cutting industry, which faced a shortage of raw materials in May and June, Alrosa explained. Diamond cutters, in turn, are encouraged by the fact that consumers’ interest in purchasing diamond jewelry increased in the second half of 2021. Demand for diamonds on some markets has already passed the pre-pandemic level, the company said.

The shortage of rough diamonds will persist because the waves of new coronavirus strains will continue to slow down the work of diamond manufacturers in South Africa and Australia, which account for up to 15% of global diamond production, Director of the NRA rating agency Sergey Grishunin said. High food inflation will trigger strikes in those countries, the analyst explained.

Diamond producers and cutters have limited stocks, while demand for diamonds is growing on key markets, Analysis Chief at BCS Global Markets Kirill Chuiko pointed out. According to him, it is a sign that the market is facing shortages and there is no other way to balance it out except to raise prices.

Growing jewelry prices are another reason for the rise in diamond prices, Chuiko went on to say. According to the Edited company, jewelry prices have skyrocketed by 57%. A number of factors make it clear that diamonds will continue to grow in price, the expert concluded.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta: More Russians reluctant to take leave from work

As many as 22% of Russians said that their summer vacation plans had been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Rossiyskaya Gazeta writes, citing a poll conducted by the SuperJob online recruitment portal. Most respondents said that they either had to cancel their travel plans due to the suspension of flights to other countries or just stayed at home for fear of getting infected.

Many Russians decided not to take leave from work, while some received vacation pay but continued to work.

On average, only one in 100 respondents pointed to a positive impact of the pandemic on their vacation plans. Some focused on home renovation and others embarked on a trip to another Russian region and were happy that they neither had to look for a place on the beach nor book hotels in advance.

However, another of the company’s polls shows that respondents still believe that taking leave from work is the best way to escape emotional burnout. A total of 22% share this opinion, up from 18% two years ago.

As for employers, they aren’t happy about their employee’s enthusiasm to keep on working. "Our experience shows that those who don’t take leave for a while become less motivated, make more mistakes and face a higher risk of burnout. It certainly affects the business, particularly in the field of communications. Our business is based on creative solutions and trusted relations with clients, but a staff member ‘with a dead battery’ cannot contribute to that. This is why it is so important to recharge yourself on vacation," Director General of the KROS communications agency Ekaterina Movsesyan said.