What Russia's July 2023 moves signalled about its wartime economy
A look back at three reported developments from 16 to 18 July 2023, from conscription age limits to state control of foreign-owned firms.
What did Russia's legislators and president do as the war in Ukraine continued on 18 July 2023? The reported answer was a pair of measures that tightened state control over both people and property.
On 18 July 2023, the Russian Federal Assembly amended its mobilisation laws. The change raised the upper age limit for conscription to 70 from 65 for the highest-ranking officers of the armed forces. The amendment applied to a narrow group, but it showed the authorities adjusting the legal framework of mobilisation while the war went on.
Takeover of foreign-owned shares
Two days earlier, on 16 July 2023, President Vladimir Putin authorised a temporary state takeover of the shares of the French agribusiness Danone and of Baltika, the brewer owned by Carlsberg. As reported at the time, the decision formed part of a wider response to private companies, these two among them, that had been scaling back their business in Russia amid the war.
That reduction in operations belonged to a broader pattern. Many private companies ceased operations in Russia or supported Ukrainian government bodies and organisations, in response to Russia's seizure of Ukrainian territory in 2014 and 2022. Others applied various sanctions.
A killing in Transnistria
Also on 16 July 2023, the Transnistrian communist and opposition leader Oleg Khorzhan was assassinated in a stabbing attack in his office.
Taken together, the reports from 16 to 18 July 2023 pointed to a state adjusting its rules on conscription and on corporate ownership as the war continued.
