0615GMT//Putin orders a military modernisation

UPDATING THE MILITARY: Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his officials to update the Russian military. This includes modernising the Russian Navy, the infantry, missile systems and Russia's nuclear arsenal. "The dominant force in modern military operations remains the ground forces and it is important to increase their combat capabilities as quickly as possible," he said. (COMMENT: Clearly, Putin shows no sign of taping off support for his military.)

PRICE CONTROLS: The Kremlin is considering introducing price controls for vegetables, Roman Chekushov, a deputy minister for industry and trade, told media. He said that a "price corridor" for potatoes and other staple foods may be necessary to dampen inflation. (COMMENT: The price of potatoes in Russia this year has more than doubled because of a poor harvest, the increase in the cost of fuel and the impact of sanctions. Other foodstuffs have also increased in price.)

GYMNASTS RETURN: Russian gymnasts will return to competing in various World Cup events this year, Russia's Gymnastics Federation said on Wednesday. It didn't say whether the gymnasts will compete under a Russian flag or as neutral athletes. (COMMENT: The decision follows a decision in March by the Switzerland-based International Gymnastics Federation to allow 12 gymnasts to compete as neutral athletes, although a month later Russia's Gymnastics Federation said that its athletes had "opted out" because of various "prejudices". Gymnastics is a major sport in Russia. Rejoining international competitions is important to the Kremlin.)

NEWS MATRIX:

You can argue the toss whether Russian gymnasts returning to World Cup competitions is important or not. It's something of a PR win for the Kremlin although it's not clear if the gymnasts will be competing under a Russian flag or as neutral competitors. Russians already compete as neutrals in several sports – including at the Olympic Games in Paris last year. Putin's order to modernise his military is, clearly, important but hardly surprising. A move by the Kremlin to potentially impose price controls on vegetables is important and something of a surprise – although it hasn't happened yet.