Minor correction: key rate is 19%, interest rates are higher than that as a result.

Some important info that is missing:

1. Proposed legislation is far from being an actual law. It has only once passed the committee (1st stage out of 5), after which got sent to be re-written. Now it’s at pre-1st stage.

2. So far, it has received 2 negative reviews from the administration. First one, from 2022, said it’s redundant, and second one, from 2023 that it’s… still just as redundant as it was.

3. 2 out of 3 authors have removed their signatures since the first negative review.

Basically, there’s little to no chance this would ever pass. Our “crazy printer” may be insane, but it only does so if there is an ass to lick.

I could even link everything if anybody wants me to. Doubt it won’t get removed, but still.

Negotiations happen when one or, more likely, two sides don’t see a way to improve their positions with military force.

The rumors you’re speaking of are a direct consequence of Russia being an autocracy. When you have a country whose ruler doesn’t leave on their own (a dictator), people start speculating on when he’s going to die. These rumors have been going around for about a decade, I believe, and are pretty much meaningless.

Now, about “securing a legacy.” I think it’s much more trivial than that. Invading Ukraine was a good way to secure presidency for the next 1-2 terms and to eradicate opposition within the country. If that’s the case, then, in a sense, he got what he wanted, although he likely also expected the war to be short and victorious (judging by the state media narrative at the time). That didn’t happen. And now there are other issues at hand for him.