Economic and military pressures could force Russia’s hand. Its economy is strained but not enough to do that, analysts say. And President Vladimir V. Putin says Russia is winning the war.

Rising pressures Over the past year, the Central Bank of Russia implemented steep interest-rate hikes to combat accelerating inflation, pushing the key rate up to 21% before easing it to 16.5% in November.

The probability of changing educational class was 52-53% in China compared to 45-46% in Russia, but roughly 68-81% of China's mobility and 57-68% of Russia's came from structural change rather than exchange mobility. At the steady state, Russia shows greater educational mobility, at about 42%, than China, which tracked at 19-27%.

The recent India-Russia Annual Summit signals a potential shift. Experts highlight the significance of new trade agreements, but caution that while enhanced cooperation with Russia can provide some relief,

As the White House tries to curb Moscow's energy income, Vladimir Putin enjoys a warm welcome in India, and promises an "uninterrupted supply" of Russian fuel.

The US president had hit India with a further 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil, arguing it was funding the war in Ukraine.

The Russian central bank is seen cutting its key interest rate by 50 basis points at a meeting on December 19 as inflation is slowing faster than expected, a Reuters poll of 15 analysts showed on Wednesday.