Free Republic

Vladimir Putin is facing an economic crisis on multiple fronts as the rouble collapses and inflation soars. The head of the Russian Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, looks set to compound Moscow's economic misery further as she warns that inflation is continuing to rise. She warned on Wednesday that interest rates may have to be hiked further but added that the decision is “not predetermined.” Ms Nabiullina said: “We have indicated that the Central Bank is open to the possibility of raising the rate, but I want to emphasise that this is not predetermined. "Yes, there is a new pro-inflationary factor,...

Russia is continuing work to put its 'unstoppable' Satan II intercontinental ballistic missile - part of its terrifying strategic nuclear arsenal - on combat duty, Moscow's state media has revealed. The Satan II missile, also referred to as the RS-28 Sarmat, is designed to deliver nuclear warheads to strike targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe, but its development has been dogged by delays and testing setbacks. In September, Putin faced humiliation after his Satan II missile exploded, obliterating Russia's only test site for hypersonic weapons. As a result, experts said that the test programme for...