Oh no...
THE POWER VERTICAL FEED WILL BE LIVE BLOGGING PUTIN'S PRESS CONFERENCE -- STAY TUNED
WELL, THAT WORKED OUT WELL...
At first, the Russian Central Bank's decision to raise its benchmark interest rate to an eye-popping 17 percent, the ruble firmed up in early morning trading.
But by mid-morning, it was plunging again to new lows. It is currently floating around 66 to the U.S. dollar and 82 to the euro.
Brent Crude, meanwhile, has dipped below $60 a barrel.
Looks like it's going to be a long day...
GIVE 'EM HELL ROBERT!
Watch my good friend Robert Pshel, NATO's representative in Moscow, give as good as he gets in a verbal showdown on Russia's state-run Channel One:
MORNING OIL & RUBLE UPDATE
Good morning. It's 8:25 a.m. in Prague. Brent Crude is selling at $66.18 a barrel. The ruble is trading at 54.18 to the U.S. dollar and 67.13 to the euro.
Follow it all in real time, and enjoy the zen vibes at zenrus.ru.
THE EYE OF SAURON IS OVER MOSCOW...
...and the Russian Orthodox Church is not happy about it.
A NEW DESIGN FOR THE 100-RUBLE NOTE?
Yale's Timothy Snyder puts Russian propaganda to the Aristotelian Test of Non-Contradiction
"We have heard there is no Ukrainian state;
And we have also heard the Ukrainian state is very repressive;
We have heard that there is no Ukrainian nation;
And we have also heard that all Ukrainians are nationalists;
We have heard there is no Ukrainian language;
And we have heard that Russians are being forced to speak the Ukrainian language;
We have heard that Russia is fighting fascism;
And, most disturbingly, we have heard that maybe fascism isn't such a bad thing after all;"
UKRAINE: FROM PROPAGANDA TO REALITY
I just came across this now and all I can say is: wow! A brilliant, concise, tight, lively, and often funny lecture on Ukrainian and Russian history by Yale University's Timothy Snyder. It's highly informative, very entertaining, and it busts all the myths.
Watch it now!