bild

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he addresses a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St.Petersburg, Russia, Friday, June 17, 2022. RussiaâÄ™s annual event to tout its investment opportunities this year was shadowed by the stern international sanctions imposed on the country after the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine four months earlier and by the extensive disapproval of foreign businesses, which have suspended operations or pulled out entirely, leaving Russian shopping centers pocked with dark, shuttered stores. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)