MOSCOW. March 14 (Interfax) - The board of directors of the Central Bank of Russia will again leave the refinancing rate and interest rates on its operations unchanged at its meeting on March 15, analysts polled by Interfax believe.

The refinancing rate is currently 8.5%.

The upcoming meeting will be held just days after President Vladimir Putin announced that he would nominate Kremlin adviser and former Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina to replace Sergei Ignatyev as chairman of the CBR when his term ends at the end of June.

Analysts agree that rates will not be changed at the March meeting, but differ on the subsequent outlook for interest rates. Some believe that the first rate cut, in part due to the upcoming appointment of Nabiullina, will take place in April already, while others think that high inflation will keep rates from being lowered until the middle of the year.

Rates could drop in April