Putin’s Situation Is ‘Extremely Grave’ | Sir Bill Browder

Sep 5, 2025 | Sir Bill Browder joins Times Radio’s Maddie Hale to analyse reports Russia’s economy has slipped into “technical stagnation”, how Vladimir Putin forces state companies to pay for his war and Donald Trump continues to choose a diplomatic path towards peace in Ukraine but warns “something is going to happen”.

The Ruble Hits Early War Lows, Extending a Slide That Began After Prigozhin’s Mutiny.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The ruble fell as low as 94 rubles per dollar on Thursday before making a slight recovery by the end of the trading day.

The Russian ruble slid to lows unseen since the weeks after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, amid fallout from the mercenary boss Yevgeny V. Prigozhin’s aborted insurrection and declining Russian oil and gas revenues.

The currency fell as low as 94 rubles per dollar on Thursday before making a slight recovery by the end of the trading day, jolting confidence among Russians, who often interpret the exchange rate as an indicator of the nation’s financial well-being.

The ruble hasn’t seen such lows since March 2022, the month after President Vladimir V. Putin ordered Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and triggered a raft of Western sanctions that briefly sent the country’s economy into a tailspin. » | Paul Sonne | Thursday, July 6, 2023

Russia's Economy: Is It Crumbling or Standing Strong? | DW News

un 10, 2022 • Sanctions against Russia are already having an effect. Prices are already rising, companies are closing and unemployment is rising. Especially in Russian aviation. What is the impact Russia's war against Ukraine is having on the country's industry?

Russia Threatens to Seize Western Assets | DW News

Mar 14, 2022 • Russian authorities have threatened foreign companies that are withdrawing from the country with arrests and asset seizures.. that's according to the Wall Street Journal. Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Apple have closed stores in Russia. Procter & Gamble, IBM and others have halted exports to the country. Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would favor putting firms under 'external management'. The Russian government has allegedly threatened to also seize their assets, including intellectual property.

The Ruble Crashes, the Stock Market Closes and Russia’s Economy Staggers under Sanctions.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: MOSCOW — The ruble cratered, the stock market froze and the public rushed to withdraw cash on Monday as Western sanctions kicked in and Russia awoke to uncertainty and fear over the rapidly spreading repercussions of President Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

As the day began, Russia’s currency lost as much as a quarter of its value within hours. Scrambling to stem the decline, the Russian Central Bank more than doubled its key interest rate, banned foreigners from selling Russian securities and ordered exporters to convert into rubles most of their foreign-currency revenues. It closed the Moscow stock exchange for the day because of the “developing situation.”

“The economic reality has, of course, changed,” the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, told reporters, announcing that Mr. Putin had called an emergency meeting with his top finance officials.

Even as Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for talks at the Belarus border, Moscow’s military offensive showed no sign of letting up, and the hectic moves offered the first signs that the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West over the weekend were shaking the foundations of Russia’s economy. The decisions by the United States, Britain and the European Union restricting the Russian Central Bank’s access to much of its $643 billion in foreign currency reserves have undone much of the Kremlin’s careful efforts to soften the impact of potential sanctions. » | Anton Troianovski | Ivan Nechepurenko contributed reporting. | Monday, February 28, 2022

Worlds Apart: Ichak Adizes, Bestselling Author & Management Consultant Speaks to Oksana

Russia and the United States have long had different takes on power and its constraints but both now find themselves at an interesting juncture - while Russia's development is slowed by too much power invested in the executive, the United States seems hamstrung for the exact opposite reason. How few or how many checks does it take to undermine the governing balance? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Ichak Adizes, a Bestselling author & Management consultant.

Russia Risks Soviet-style Collapse as Rouble Defence Fails

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: 'What is happening is a nightmare that we could not even have imagined a year ago,' says Russia's central bank


Russia has lost control of its economy and may be forced to impose Soviet-style exchange controls after "shock and awe" action by the central bank failed to stem the collapse of the rouble.

“The situation is critical,” said the central bank’s vice-chairman, Sergei Shvetsov. “What is happening is a nightmare that we could not even have imagined a year ago."

The currency crashed to 100 against the euro in the biggest one-day drop since the default crisis in 1998 as capital flight gathered pace, despite a drastic rise in interest rates to 17pc intended to crush speculators and show resolve.

Yields on two-year Russian bonds spiralled to 15.36pc, while credit default swaps are pricing in a one-third chance of a sovereign default. The shares of Russia’s biggest lender, Sberbank, fell 18pc.

Neil Shearing, from Capital Economics, said the spectacular failure of the rate shock may bring matters to a head. “If a rise of 650 basis points won’t do the job, we are near the end. That means stringent capital controls,” he said. » | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor | Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Russian Economy Succumbs to the Oil Curse
THE TELEGRAPH: Moscow is the most expensive city in the world, like Tokyo before the Nikkei bubble burst. A taxi from Domodedovo airport to the Kremlin costs $170 (£86). Property in Ostozhenka trumps Chelsea. Space fetches $30,000 a square metre.

Nice Tsarist flats fetch $3m to $4m. Even Bolshevik boxes are booming. Moscow boasts 150,000 home millionaires in dollars, says Sergei Polonsky, the Mirax Group tycoon. In a good year, prices double.

This is the curse of commodity wealth, the "Dutch Disease" that eats at the competitive foundations of an economy and incubates a parasite culture. No doubt Russia's scientists, engineers, and cyber talent, will enrich the country, but first it must overcome the toxic effects of oil at $90 a barrel.

"We can no longer afford to buy Russian equipment," said Yevgeny Ivanov, head of Polyus Gold.

"The prices here are one and a half times higher than abroad so we're having to break our rigid rule and turn to foreign-made machinery. It is bad news for Russian firms. The commodity super-cycle is catching up with us through higher prices. It is a disheartening picture," he said.

"There's no infrastructure, no power, no roads. Electricity costs twice what they pay in Alaska and Canada. We face a Soviet bureaucracy passing decrees that make you weep," he said.

The government has declared an infrastructure emergency. Russia has hit the limits of durable growth on today's rickety foundations.China has built 25,000 miles of highways since 1988, Russia a few hundred. Russian economy succumbs to the oil curse >>> By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard International Business Editor

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)