TODAY: Putin says U.S. will never ‘subdue’ its rival; Russia asking Nato to make a promise over Ukraine membership; Nato warns of serious military build-up in Ukraine; EBRD, Finance Minister see imminent recession; new legislation to regulate offshore assets; Nabiullina and Putin defend ruble float; Sechin expected to pressure Opec; journalist to be charged over LGBT support website.

President Vladimir Putin says the United States wants to ‘subdue’ Russia, but vows that it will never succeed.  Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, says Russia is asking Nato for ‘a 100% guarantee that no one would think about Ukraine joining Nato’, because the alliance has made Moscow nervous.  Nato is warning of a ‘serious’ Russian military build-up in eastern Ukraine, and calling once again on Russia to pull back its troops.  The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development blames Russia’s imminent recession on the Ukraine crisis.  Finance Minister Anton Siluanov says Russia will see a recession next year if the oil price drops to $60 a barrel and the West intensifies current sanctions; Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukaev painted a similarly grim picture of the economy at a Kremlin economic meeting last month.  Newly passed legislation will tighten reporting requirements for the offshore income of Russian citizens, making it subject to taxation for the first time, and possibly making Russian-owned, foreign businesses more vulnerable to pressure by bringing them under Russian law.  The new law is expected to hit hard in the business community, and to face strong opposition from individuals and companies alike.  Organic farmer Boris Akimov says food sanctions blocking Western imports to Russia have forced people ‘to think more about where their food comes from’.