⚡ Kremlin signals compromise on $280bln frozen assets

Russia still regards the confiscation of the assets as an act of war

Hello and welcome to your essential guide to Russian politics and economics! This time we are looking at:

• Top Russian officials told Faridaily that the Kremlin does not expect to regain control of $280 billion in frozen assets;

• How revenue shortfalls have replaced spiralling defense spending as the main headache for Russian financial planners.

We also look at why Putin has canceled his annual state-of-the-nation address, the FSB getting new powers to oversee academics, and how Russia is poised to block messaging service Whatsapp.

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Wrangling over frozen Russian assets

The Kremlin would be open to the idea of the funds being invested in rebuilding Ukraine after the end of the fighting.