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.
The cost of the attack on Ukraine is about $300 million per day, according to the Wall Street Journal. Putin cannot expect any relief from the economy. Western sanctions have limited oil and gas revenues and companies are reluctant to do business with Russia. To cover the budget gap, Putin has already resorted to the state welfare fund.