Messenger Telegram has surpassed WhatsApp in terms of traffic in Russia for the first time, and the EU may embargo oil from Russia as part of new sanctions – these and other important news for Monday morning, March 21, in our daily review.

The European Union is discussing imposing an oil embargo on Russia as it prepares a fifth round of sanctions in response to the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine. The Baltic States are insisting on the embargo, while Germany is against it. The position of France, which holds the EU presidency, may prove decisive for consensus, Reuters reports citing European diplomats familiar with the discussion.

Telegram became the first most popular messenger in Russia for the first time in March, surpassing WhatsApp in terms of traffic. Its share among messengers reached 63%, Megafon has calculated. This is reported by “Vedomosti” with reference to the press service of the operator. Messenger, founded by Pavel Durov, became in March and the leader in mobile traffic per day, according to calculations “Megafon”.

Russia has granted Belarus a delay of five to six years in terms of payments on state loans. This was announced by Finance Minister Yuri Seliverstov, speaking on air of the TV channel “Belarus-1,” reports TASS. In 2020-2021, Russia sent Belarus a $1 billion loan, the total state debt of Belarus last year amounted to $21 billion.

Retail chains have faced disruptions in the supply of juices and milk to stores due to the lack of containers for storage of such products. This is reported by “Vedomosti” with reference to two retailers and a representative of a large food manufacturer. According to them, the market is now recording a shortage of tetrapak and cardboard, there are difficulties with the purchase of packaging film.

The impact of the special operation in Ukraine on the global economy will depend on its duration and the response of other countries, according to a special report of the Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD). Kommersant writes about it with reference to the document. If prices remain at the current high level, global GDP growth in 2022 will decline by 1%, and global consumer inflation will increase by about 2.5 percentage points. This scenario also implies a deep recession in Russia, with the economy contracting by more than 10% and inflation accelerating to 15% by year-end. In Ukraine, the recession could be up to 40%, according to OECD analysts.