With Kiev’s defenses unraveling, the narrative surrounding the country’s leader has suddenly changed in Western media By Glenn Diesen, Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway and an editor at the Russia in Global Affairs journal. Follow him on Twitter @glenndiesen.
The central bank had previously hiked rates at five successive meetings over a six-month period Russia’s central bank left its key interest rate unaltered at 16% at its scheduled meeting on Friday, saying that tight monetary policy will be necessary to return stubborn inflation back to target levels.