US bond rating service Moody’s announced that Russia was in default of its foreign debt payments yesterday, a first for Moscow since 1918. Unlike most countries who go into default, Russia has the money to pay its debts. But the sanctions put in place following the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow does not have a reliable mechanism to deliver payment to its debt holders. While the Russian central bank is trying to argue that this does not constitute a technical default, the episode does highlight some of the particularities of the approach the US and its allies are taking in sanctioning Moscow and the rest of the world is taking note.
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We will continue to post our analysis and updates on this and other topics related to the Ukraine War. This newsletter and its affiliated videologues are, and always will be, free. New subscribers can sign up here.
Finally, a reminder:
Russia’s strategic shift from thunder runs to a civilian obliteration has already forced ten million Ukrainians from their homes, with nearly four million now living in limbo in foreign lands. All proceeds from all formats of all of our previous books are being donated to the Afya Foundation, a charity which provides medical assistance to refugees from the Ukraine War.

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The buttons below will direct you to our purchase pages where you can both find out a bit more about each book, as well as select purchase options ranging from e-services to your local bookstore.
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Having difficulty keeping up with the chaotic and quickly-changing landscape of Russia sanctions and commodities markets or inflation?
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So far, we’ve tackled the challenges facing energy, agriculture, industrial materials and inflation. You can purchase access to the recordings of both of these webinars via the buttons below:
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