Russia's stock market was down more than 10% earlier today and that sparked all kinds of speculation about what's going on. The drop came after announcements about referendums on Donbas regions joining Russia and plenty of people pointed to that. However I don't see why those would prompt a frenzy of selling, particularly since they've long been rumored.
Newsquawk highlights a report in Meduza that said that if the Ukranian counteroffensive continues, Russian authorities intend to carry out a partial mobilization in Russia and introduce martial law.
A short time ago Putin also said that Russia needs to enhance the capacity of the weapons-producing industry so that's a hint at the same.
Such a move would be another signal that Russia is all-in on the Ukraine war and that adds many geopolitical risks as well, along with the potential for cutting off energy supplies. There's also talk of a press conference later from Putin.
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