Russian airlines offered the government 98 measures to support the industry, and the Ministry of Finance reported on the repurchase of $1.5 billion worth of Eurobonds for rubles – these and other important news for Friday morning, April 1, in our daily review.

The release of up to 180 million barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in a few months, which President Joe Biden’s administration is planning, will depend on a worn-out network of pipelines and oil storage facilities with a troubled past, Bloomberg reports.

The Air Transport Association (AETA), which brings together major airlines, has sent the government proposals for measures to support the industry. They should help it “in conditions of external sanctions pressure,” RBC reports, citing a letter from AEVT President Vladimir Tasun to First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov.

“Sber (MCX:SBER) sold control in SB Blagosostoyanie, which owned management companies Sber Asset Management and Sber Real Estate Funds, the bank’s press service informed. Details of investment transactions there refused to comment.

The Central Bank will increase from 10 to 50 million rubles the amount of loans that banks can give to small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) on the basis of intrabank creditworthiness indicators.

The Ministry of Finance bought $1.5 billion worth of Eurobonds for rubles, which corresponds to 72.4% of the volume of this issue in circulation. Eurobond holders received a total of Rb 124.4bn.