Following Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned Armenia about the risks of rapprochement with the European Union, accused the country's leadership of "political gamesmanship" before the elections, and hinted at the influence of European politicians on the situation in the republic.
In July 2025, the North Caucasus saw a decrease in the popularity of credit cards. According to the Central Bank, their number in the district has noticeably decreased compared to the same period last year.
The most significant decline was recorded in Stavropol Krai - from 825.1 thousand in 2024 to 697.7 thousand cards in 2025. A decrease in the number of users was also noted in Dagestan, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia.
The exception was Chechnya, where, on the contrary, an increase in the popularity of this banking product was recorded - from 152.9 thousand to 157 thousand. This trend in the North Caucasus corresponds to the all-Russian trend of decreasing use of credit cards. In total, 44.4 million credit cards were actively used in Russia in July 2025, while a year earlier it was 50.1 million.