AvtoVAZ is disappointed by the Russian market. A monopoly (Western cars are excluded, while Chinese cars pay a "recycle fee" of hundreds of rubles) complains about low sales, which do not allow for the release of new models :) Just recall their last "Lada Iskra" success...

Putin and Trump agreed on nothing, exactly as Putin needed. Trump blames Europe and Ukraine for the war that Putin started. Sanctions are postponed for a unit of time called "forever". Great victory for Vladimir Putin...

The Moscow Paradox: we are benefiting from the sanctions, but please, lift them!

Everything is great, according to a plan...

The graph shows the current trend in Russian transport, switching from railway transport (next slide), which is in decline, to road vehicles. The intensified controls after the Sunday attacks may prolong the delivery times.

‼️ Russian Railways May 2025 Loading Update Thread

Things got worse…

The recent Russian anti-migration campaign has repercussions in the utilities sector. ZhKKh workforce, traditionally poorly paid and occupied by migrants from Central Asia, fell by 40%. This, together with an underinvestment, will cause inevitable accidents and failures. theins.ru/ekonomika/28...

Excellent thread on the Russian Economy..

Let’s talk about the Russian Economy!

I want to try give you an overview of some to the choices Russia has in some basic terms, and without pulling out too much reference material, so hopefully it will be easier to comprehend.

(So the opposite of usual, but you know how I love a reference)

Any suggestions for a good (better, excellent) book on AI, microchips, etc.? I already consulted AI itself, read Chris Miller's Chip Wars. It can be geopolitics/economics, technical aspects, or simply anything understandable for a non-technical guy with an interest in these topics.

Russian weekly inflation - a tendency toward slowing, but fragile. Still, higher in 2025 since the beginning of the year than at the same period in 2024. rosstat.gov.ru/storage/medi...

My most recent paper on the Authoritarian economic soft power - building a reputation of prosperous countries: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

This is my favorite statistic. Apparently, it's also a favorite of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR). Well, favorite. At the moment, we are seeing a rise in inflation expectations after a decline at the beginning of the year, while perceived inflation has fallen slightly

Not surprising, though. Importing spare parts through Gabon etc could keep the planes in the air, but cannot avoid such incidents. With the ms21 and ssj100 delays (if not a closure of the programs ať all), it will be more plentiful in the near future. www.moscowtimes.ru/2025/05/18/d...

The cost of ZhKCh (utilities) is rising well above official inflation, but it does not go to maintenance. Lifts became a problem, but by no means alone. Electricity - housing boom built on old transmission grids, unrepaired houses... The alarm is ticking, particularly in subnational budgets.

Kuzbass is returning to financing through bank credits. It is regarded as expensive (23.4 percent a year). The providers are state banks Sberbank and VTB (notorious receiver of the state support). An instant solution that may create problems in the future. www.moscowtimes.ru/2025/05/12/d...