The list of strategic enterprises eligible for government assistance will be approved at the first meeting of the Government Commission scheduled for December 23, 2008. "Our ministries and agencies are capable of processing up to 500 enterprises," the First Deputy Prime Minister said. Experts estimate that about 1,500 companies need government support at the federal level.

Mr Shuvalov identified two groups of enterprises that will be the first to receive support. The first group includes the enterprises that have been operating smoothly, have low debts, but have lost access to credits at the height of the crisis. Their temporary inability to pay for shipments would trigger a chain of defaults. That group includes, among others, major retail networks.

The second group includes enterprises which, faced with a dramatic drop of internal and external demand, launched major modernisation projects and have already ordered the required equipment.

The First Deputy Prime Minister made some important statements on the monetary policy of the Russian Government and the Central Bank of Russia. Mr Shuvalov said that the Russian Government did not intend to "rescue" the dollar.

"We are proceeding according to the scenario announced in advance. We were expected to dramatically devalue the rouble in a certain period of time. There will be no surprises when you wake up one day and see a dramatically changed exchange rate," Mr Shuvalov said. "I take it that the Central Bank is firmly adhering to the declared policy," the First Deputy Prime Minister said.