The Orenburg Regional Court has begun hearing the state prosecution's appeal in the 6-million-ruble bribe case involving former senator Rauf Arashukov. The prosecution is seeking to increase the fine for the former official, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, from 120 million to 420 million rubles.
During the Ukrainian Breakfast at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated that Russia's attempts to project its power globally have not been successful, citing the situation in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela as examples.
"Putin wanted to project power globally and in his own region. Look at what's happening in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela. From the Kremlin's perspective, this is far from a success story," the Finnish President stated.
He also emphasized that Russia is not achieving victory in the war with Ukraine, citing minor territorial gains (1% of Ukraine's territory over the past 1,000 days) and significant losses in manpower. Stubb also noted the crisis in the Russian economy, including high inflation.