Free Republic

Stubborn inflation, exorbitant borrowing costs, bankruptcy risks and a growth slowdown: the Russian economy is facing a slew of negative headlines, as the costs of the Ukraine war and Western sanctions mount. “The root cause of the economy’s problems is labor starvation and sanctions ... the symptom is an inflationary surge,” said Anton Tabakh, chief economist at the Russian ratings agency Expert RA.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence said on Monday that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed and wounded in weekend battles in Russia's western Kursk region, prompting commanders to send reinforcements to frontline units. "North Korean army units are being re-equipped after losses in assaults" around the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba and Martynovka in the Kursk region, the GUR wrote in a post to its official Telegram channel. On Dec. 14 and 15, the GUR said, "units of the DPRK army suffered significant losses -- at least 30 soldiers were killed and wounded," using the acronym...