The fuel front. The largest drone attack on Moscow since the war began capped a wave of strikes on refineries that has spread fuel shortages across more than fifty regions. We assess why the damage, though real, is not pushing the Kremlin towards concessions — and what it does to Putin's room for manoeuvre.

Stripping parliament of the budget. The cabinet rushed a budget-code amendment through the Duma in three readings in a single sitting, freeing itself to spend and borrow without returning to parliament. We examine what this concentration of fiscal power signals — and the parallel pressure building on the Central Bank over the cost of money.

A St. Petersburg mogul arrested. The detention of Ilya Traber, a shadowy figure tied to Putin's early career, is among the clearest signs of a changing regime. We analyse what the war has to do with it.

Roblox is back. Six months after the ban, the platform has been unblocked — a rare case in which political calculation overrode the security services. We assess why it happened now, and why it is an exception rather than a thaw.

Indicators. Putin's rating decline has halted at a slightly lower level, the price of new internet restrictions, while fear of drone attacks climbs fast towards the centre of public attention.