Russia's economy is weakening: Putin wants to take the oligarchs by their collars. Russia is running a budget deficit of 3.24 trillion rubles (about $33 billion), equivalent to 1.9 percent of GDP.
Western sanctions have limited oil and gas revenues. Experts predict that the growth rates of the Russian economy will fall to two to two-and-a-half percent in the next two years. The state has already resorted to the welfare fund last year, withdrawing about 3.5 trillion Rubles from it.