Putin Turns to Ruble and Ballot to Shore Up Shaken Authority

[teekay99]

From Bloomberg:
Putin Turns to Ruble and Ballot to Shore Up Shaken Authority - BNN Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- The ruble is slumping, the shock of a failed mutiny has yet to fade and the war in Ukraine has crossed the 18-month mark with no end in sight.

Yet preparations are already underway for Vladimir Putin to secure a fifth term in March 2024 elections, even as anxiety about the future spreads among senior officials and business tycoons, according to four people close to the Kremlin.

The Bank of Russia’s emergency interest rate hike this week was not just a response to the latest fall in the ruble but part of a wider effort to subdue inflation before the vote, said one of the people and a second person close to the government.

Without the election to consider, the central bank may have waited for the next scheduled monetary policy meeting to take action. As it stands, it’s facing open pressure from Putin’s aides to stabilize the exchange rate and prevent any further erosion of real household incomes.......

 

[Friendly Engineer]

We're getting a DWS exclusive preview of the ballot

 

[teekay99]

We're getting a DWS exclusive preview of the ballot
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Well at least Russia has lots of practice with mysterious suicides out of windows of tall buildings (when those buildings are not being used to successfully intercept drone attacks).