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.