Evening Political Roundup, October 28, 2026

The Bank of Russia closed a loophole involving eight-year auto loans and explicitly stated that the quality of household debt remains sound only as long as incomes continue to rise. On the same day, Rosstat reported a record number of passenger cars produced since February 2022, while weekly inflation fell to 0.08%. At the “Russia-Africa” forum, Putin cited a record number of African students at Russian universities; the World Bank estimated the 2026 energy shock at 32%; Indian stock indices fell due to high oil prices, and a Norwegian court kept “Professor Molchanov” in custody. We examine why the Russian economy is operating in two modes simultaneously and what will happen when external factors cease to offset internal ones.