July 14 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble firmed on Friday, on course for its first weekly gain in more than two months, edging back past the 90 mark against the dollar supported by high oil prices and as pressure from capital outflows eases.
Capital controls and shrinking imports have helped to insulate the rouble from geopolitics during the more than 16 months since Russia invaded Ukraine, but mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's abortive march towards Moscow on June 24 reverberated through markets.
At 0725 GMT, the rouble was 0.2% stronger against the dollar at 89.92, pulling further from last week's more than 15-month low at 93.85.
It had gained 0.2% to trade at 100.79 versus the euro . It had firmed 0.1% against the yuan to 12.58 .
Seeking to project calm, Russian authorities blamed the rouble's slump - it fell around 10% from its June 23 close to its trough on July 6 - on falling export revenues and recovering imports, but analysts acknowledge the impact of domestic political concerns and increased net capital outflows.
Even as the rouble recovers back to the 80-90 range the government has called preferable, it still remains weak. Before the Wagner group mutiny, the rouble was trading close to 84 to the dollar.
The rouble could be in line to strengthen towards 86-88 against the dollar in coming sessions, said Promsvyazbank analyst Egor Zhilnikov, buttressed by higher oil prices, a decrease in the population's active demand for foreign currency and as exporters prepare for month-end tax payments.
Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 0.3% at $81.16 a barrel, but near its strongest point since late April.
Russian stock indexes were mixed.
The dollar-denominated RTS index was up 0.1% to 1,009.4 points. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index was 0.2% lower at 2,880.2 points.
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For Russian treasury bonds see (Reporting by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
