The Russian central bank said on Monday it had temporarily suspended publishing data on foreign trade on a monthly basis in the first such suspension since 1997. The central bank was due to release a foreign trade balance for January-February on Monday, as initially planned, according to its data release schedule. The central bank did not explain its decision to suspend publication of the foreign trade data, monthly figures for which can be tracked back as far as 1997 on the bank’s website. In January, the latest data available, Russian foreign trade surplus fell to $21.17 billion from $26.72 billion in the previous month. Russia is under tough Western sanctions as the United States, the European Union, and their allies respond to Moscow’s Ukraine invasion launched on Feb. 24, which the Kremlin calls “a special military operation.” The sanctions have cut Russia off from the global financial system and Western …