Russian authorities have detained the owner and director of the Torpedo football club on suspicion of bribery, according to a representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Leonid Sobolev, the owner, and Valery Skorodumov, the director, are accused of attempting to bribe judges in at least three games, with bribes exceeding 1 million rubles allegedly offered between March and May 2025.

Meanwhile, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), President Vladimir Putin highlighted Russia’s economic achievements and future plans. He emphasized the need to minimize business costs, improve the investment climate, and support new Russian brands. Putin stated that Russia’s GDP growth rate exceeds 4% annually, surpassing global averages, and that unemployment is at a historic low of 2.3%.

In other news from SPIEF-2025, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation, Anton Kotyakov, announced that the minimum wage (MROT) in Russia will exceed 27,000 rubles in 2026, a decision expected to affect 4.6 million people. This year, the minimum wage was indexed by 16.6%, requiring employers to pay full-time employees at least 22,440 rubles.

In addition, Russia has begun automatically assigning pre-retirement status to eligible citizens, eliminating the previous application requirement. This status, generally granted at age 55 for women and 60 for men (or earlier for those eligible for early retirement), five years before pension eligibility, provides benefits such as employer-provided paid days for medical check-ups, employment protections, and regional benefits like free public transport, medication compensation, and utility bill discounts.