Putin's $52B Deficit Explodes: Reserves Dry - Jason Jay Smart

[TexasTowelie]

Russia is spiraling into a systemic financial crisis as the colossal cost of the war economy hits critical mass. The Bank of Russia has been forced to maintain the key interest rate at a suffocating 21%, a historic high that defies political pressure and effectively shuts down the civilian sector by pushing commercial borrowing rates past 25%. This desperate monetary policy struggles to contain the extreme inflation fueled by unchecked military spending, generating a deep recessionary pressure on non-military industries.

Simultaneously, the federal budget deficit has ballooned dramatically, nearly doubling this year to 5.7 trillion rubles as war expenditures soar. This massive fiscal shortfall is compounded by a catastrophic oil revenue slump. Ukrainian drone attacks have successfully paralyzed up to 40% of the country's primary refineries, causing diesel exports to drop to a five-year low and fundamentally crippling a core revenue source for the nation’s GDP.

The state's financial distress and sweeping foreign sanctions have a direct, chilling effect on Russia's ruling elite. This economic turmoil is rapidly shrinking the wealth of the country's richest. A major group of at least 38 of Russia's wealthiest oligarchs has reportedly seen catastrophic losses in their total holdings due to the toxic combination of tight monetary policy, war-fueled instability, and asset freezes in the West. Their diminished financial power reflects the decay at the top of the Russian financial ecosystem, threatening the long-term stability of the Kremlin's inner circle. The Kremlin is cornered: it cannot lower rates without triggering hyperinflation, while the Finance Ministry is running out of resources to fund the war machine without collapsing the non-military sectors. This perfect storm confirms that the financial foundation of the Russian state is unstable.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
02:15 - Why Russia is Losing the War: The Financial Disaster
04:37 - Urgent Drone Fundraising for Ukraine's Victory
06:08 Fuel Shortages & Slumping Oil Revenue: Drone Impact
08:40 Russia's $53 Billion Deficit & Vanishing Reserves
12:37 Corporate Collapse & $160 Billion in Dirty Cash
14:54 - Outro

[popsdenver]

1. as with any

elderly psychopathic, narcissistic, Megalomaniac, Tyrant/Dictator, the biggest worry is them having nuclear weapons and them feeling the end is near for themselves, and wanting to spread it around.........the infamous: "I'll Show You" syndrome.