The Moscow Kremlin. File photoMOSCOW, Mar 8 S&P Global Ratings (S&P), an international rating agency, downgraded the foreign and local currency credit ratings of 52 Russian corporations and companies to «CCC–» from «BBB–», the rating is aimed at revision with a possible downgrade. Among companies and corporations — Lukoil, Alrosa, Gazprom, Rosneft, Severstal, Novatek, Rostelecom, Megafon, X5 Group, Yandex, Russian Railways. Also on the list are Transneft, Norilsk Nickel, NLMK, Novatek, PhosAgro, Sibur, Mosenergo, Sovcomflot, RusHydro, Rosseti, Magnit. It is noted that such an action was committed against the backdrop of a special operation of the Russian Federation to demilitarize Ukraine. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops, the civilian population is not in danger. With the support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive. But the occupation of Ukraine is out of the question, the Russian President emphasized.
