Apparently the Russian Central Bank has raised interest rates from 9.5% to 20% to support the Ruble (or should we say the rubble).

The Ruble had fallen 30% on Asian markets in early trading this morning. Now down only 20% or so.

It is not logical and it does not need facts (when they can use complete fabrications and half-truths) like most of the Russian propaganda that I have gathered since I became aware of it. This political apparatus is the old soviet one and it just continues as before, it has carefully selected people (or counter-selected, if you want).
Like the idea that UA is nothing but poor and peasantry, but then they still want it..and so on and so weiter.
Or that the "West" or other countries won't stand by Ukraine. Just watch it, you trolls or useful idiots who pop us here to spill your poison.

Hmmm, some peoples have had them for a very long time..

On the plus side, with a nuclear winter we won't have to worry about global warming anymore.
I'm pretty sure that even limited use won't happen. Well... I hope so.

According to The Times there are four levels: Ready, elevated, military and full. The level is now elevated. Russia nuclear doctrine is that there's no first use unless ballistic missiles (presumably nuclear) are incoming to Russia soil. Ukraine has no ballistic missiles.

Don't count on that, Putin is a law unto himself.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60551140

The Moscow stock exchange did not open this morning, there will be an announcement at 1pm local time about the opening.

Edit: It closed on Friday around 30% down since 16 Feb.

On TV, saw those Military heads on the other side of the table from Putin, being told to escalate, and they seemed to both look pretty nervous. Not their usual calm collective Russian tough guy act.

On the other hand, among all the despair most of us feel, something else happened - the soul of Europe has awakened. Never been prouder of being a European, whatever the status of both my countries say.


https://fb.watch/bsiTu8KFv-/

Let's play a game, fill out the blanks:

Similar to Hitler, Putin is not acting rationally. His ego and idealogy have placed him in a fantasy that the glory (if you call it that) of the USSR must be restored AT ANY COST. (Belarus is for all practical purposes now part of Russia). I fear he is someone who would prefer mutual destruction rather than defeat.

No doubt his isolation and lack of public presence is a product of his paranoia, and his nuclear threats are a form of chest-beating in the face of his grave miscalculations.

I worry that the change of Congress in the mid-terms will favour Russia, and Putin may try to keep Ukraine occupied until then. Additionally the Russia-China alliance is equally concerning.

__________________
So sayeth the 'Speed
* I do look like my avatar

That is the point. The creates new terminology and no one knows what "special operations", "special regime" means. And there are no corrective system constraints around him. And it is very difficult to see any "face saving" negotiated solution for Russia here.

Apart from anything else they want to concentrate on organising the Ukraine invasion, not have to plan a huge diversionary action bringing the whole country up to another level.
Presumably there are minimum staffing levels which might even mean pulling troops back from Ukraine.

The interest rate will increase from 9.5% to 20%, the central bank said in a statement before ruble trading was due to open at 10 a.m. local time.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russi...044800861.html


Now the Russian Ruble is a rubble in upcoming trouble.

To be honest, believe they were actually scared shitless.

Too true.

Swissinfo headline:

Of course, the usual excuse has been used: "Not every other country has either".

That's the kind of rhetoric one hears in the playground. It's more than pathetic.

In less than 1 week Putin is transforming Europe, what a leader

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...er-2022-02-27/

now i understand why some admire putin so much

The best thing the EU can do now is pour their resources into making our energy sources independent and sustainable. Once we release ourselves from reliance on fossil fuels from dictatorial regimes it will change the political landscape considerably.

Switzerland has remained true to its neutral principle it boasts of being so proud of all the time. I.e it doesn’t care where the money comes from, as long as it gets banked in Switzerland. The war in Ukraine is of course sad, but not as sad as losing all that precious money from the oligarch’s and commodity trading.

Russian central bank announces the Moscow Stock Exchange will not open today, Sberbank has a London listing and has just collapsed 74% on opening.

Anybody who still believes the sanctions are not working?

Over the last five days, the exchange rate of the ruble is down 20%, the Ukrainian hryvnia is down 3%.

And the best part is, this is just the beginning

Putin has turned an economic midget into an economic desert.