🧵 Despite Russia reporting sugar, paper and medicine shortages, panic buying, waves of emigration and an exodus of Western firms, a new Central Bank survey hints that Russian households are not yet fully braced for the crisis which has already started to unfold. Inflation expectations - how fast Russians expect prices to rise - have hit their second highest ever reading of 18.3%.

But, analysts expect inflation will come closer to 30% in the coming months and expectations are normally well ahead (2x) of actual inflation

Russia has fined Google $100m for failing to remove content authorities say is illegal under Russian law.

A serious escalation in the Kremlin’s campaign against foreign tech companies. The dozens of fines levied previously were set at token amounts ($10-100k). 🚨Russia issues another mega-fine of $30m to Facebook/Meta, also for failing to remove banned content

🧵 Russia's opposition has claimed this election saw higher levels of fraud than any other in the country's recent history.

How have they calculated that and just how different might the State Duma vote tallies be from reality?

A thread. Long. With graphs. (1) Disclaimer 1: This is not an endorsement, nor my own calculations, just demonstrating the methodology

Disclaimer 2: We are talking here about possible on-the-day falsifications, not the wider idea of a “free and fair” election. Just the actual votes cast. How many were real? (2)

Telegram announces it is restricting access to Russian election-related bots — one of the main ways Team Navalny had been disseminating its Smart Voting recommendations after Apple/Google deleted his app from their app stores.

t.me/durov_russia/32 In a convoluted post, Telegram founder Pavel Durov attacks the "oligopoly" of Apple/Google as well as Russia’s restrictions on free speech and claims Telegram is the most free social platform. But says he will abide by rules mandating a "blackout" on campaigning after polls open