Election results early this week in a former part of the Soviet Union have struck a further blow to Vladimir Putin’s global influence, and shows how much the war in Ukraine has damaged the Russian President’s international standing.
The elections in Armenia saw a pro-EU party, Civil Contract, secure 49.8 per cent of the vote, compared to 23.2 per cent for the pro-Russian Strong Armenia party. The vote gave prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was seeking re-election on a promise of European integration, a strong boost.
The result is already being viewed as evidence of Russia’s waning influence in the country, which was previously seen by the Kremlin as a key military, economic and geopolitical partner. It also comes as Russia’s influence is suffering additional setbacks around the world.
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Caption: ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, ENGLAND – MAY 30: Andy Burnham, Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, attends a traditional Saturday breakfast club in Ashton-in-Makerfield to meet with retired miners and local organisers on May 30, 2026 in Ashton-in-Makerfield, England. Miners from the area have a long-running campaign regarding the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, they are demanding a fairer multi-billion pound restructuring of the pension surplus sharing arrangement originally set up during privatisation. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Photographer: Christopher Furlong
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
politics
What Burnham as PM would mean for your pensions and benefits
Andy Burnham is being urged by Labour MPs to abandon a manifesto commitment to the triple lock on state pensions to free up cash for defence and young people.
Here’s what that could mean for you if the Mayor of Greater Manchester wins his by-election bid and makes his way to No 10.
Burnham urged to be ‘bold’
Party insiders are pushing Burnham to axe the controversial policy on the tide of “goodwill” following his arrival, reinvesting the money in policies to support young people and bolster the defence budget.
The policy, introduced by the Conservatives in 2010, has been blamed for the ballooning welfare budget under Labour.
A lot of thought needs to be put into transferring a DB pension to a DC pot (Photo: Getty Images)
OPINION
3 min read
How much does the triple lock cost?
The state pension now costs
£146bn
A year, three times what the Office for Budget Responsibility says it should.
This means the policy itself, which ensures the state pension rises in line with the highest of inflation, wage growth or 2.5 per cent, is set to cost.
£13.8bn
Higher a year by 2029-30.
This is due to higher-than-expected inflation and wage growth in the last few years, causing the state pension to rise by 10.3 per cent in 2023 and 4.3 per cent this year.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 18: General Sir Richard Barrons, Co-Chairman, Universal Defence and Security Solutions attends TheCityUK International Conference on April 18, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Photographer: Leon Neal
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: GETTY IMAGES
Spend to protect
There’s no point me having a glamorous, comfortable retirement if the country that I bequeath to my children is at great military risk.
The words of Sir General Richard Barrons, chair of the strategic defence review, in the wake of the departure of the defence secretary and armed forces minister over meagre defence spending.
Labour MPs ready for reform on welfare after last year’s backlash
Dame Meg Hillier told The i Paper Labour MPs are now ready to back welfare reform, after Alan Milburn’s due to review youth joblessness.
Burnham himself recently admitted there is “no debate” welfare spending should come down, despite opposing measures to get costs under control last summer.
Exclusive
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Watch more from The i Paper
Could football stadiums help solve Britain’s youth unemployment crisis? The Government plans to open 360 new youth hubs in places like football grounds, libraries and community centres, as the number of young people not in education, employment or training passes one million. Inspired by a Dutch model credited with helping to keep youth unemployment low, ministers hope the hubs can connect young people with jobs, training, housing and mental health support all in one place. Read Vicky Spratt’s piece for more information at the link above ⬆️ #NEET #YouthUnemployment #JobMarket #Footballstadium
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Police arrest 107 at Palestine Action court ruling
Dozens of arrests have been made outside a London court as people protested during the sentencing of four activists, who broke into the Elbit Systems factory.
Caption: Protesters are detained by police outside Woolwich Crown Court, London, during a hearing where Palestine Action activists are due to be sentenced over over a break-in at the UK base of an Israel-based defence firm, Elbit Systems site near Bristol on August 6 2024. Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Rajwani were convicted of criminal damage, while Corner was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm when he fractured a police officer’s spine during the raid. Picture date: Friday June 12, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Photographer: Yui Mok
Provider: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Source: PA
Copyright: PA Wire
Hundreds gather to support activists
Around 500 Palestine Action supporters stood outside Woolwich Crown Court on Friday as their fellow protesters were being sentenced for entering the arms factory in Bristol in 2024, damaging £1.2m worth of property and assaulting a police officer.
Caption: Protesters outside Woolwich Crown Court, London, during a hearing where Palestine Action activists are due to be sentenced over over a break-in at the UK base of an Israel-based defence firm, Elbit Systems site near Bristol on August 6 2024. Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Rajwani were convicted of criminal damage, while Corner was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm when he fractured a police officer’s spine during the raid. Picture date: Friday June 12, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Photographer: Yui Mok
Provider: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Source: PA
Copyright: PA Wire
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 12: Hundreds of activists gather in support of four of the Filton defendants due to be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on June 12, 2026 in London, England. Four of “the Filton 25” activists convicted of causing over ??1 million in damage to an Elbit Systems factory face potential sentencing as terrorists under Section 69 of the Sentencing Act 2020, after Mr Justice Johnson applied a “terrorist connection” to their criminal damage convictions. This controversial, post-trial mechanism subjects the pro-Palestinian activists to severe parole restrictions and long-term counter-terrorism notification requirements despite the jury not considering terrorism charges. (Photo by Guy Smallman/Getty Images)
Photographer: Guy Smallman
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
They held signs reading “I support Palestine Action”, resulting in 72 arrests as people were carried into 12 waiting police vans.
Former Labour Shadow Chancellor among crowds
The worry I’ve got is because the Government has proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation – I voted against that – they will now be possibly sentenced on terrorist charges. I think that’s unjust.
john mcdonnell, speaking outside woolwich crown court today
John McDonnell condemned the decision to block Burnham in a fiery post on X (Photo: Guy Smallman/Getty Images)
What were their sentences?
Charlotte Head, 30, and Leona Kamio, 30, were each jailed for 4 years and 10 months for criminal damage. Fatema Rajwani, 21, was jailed for 4 years and 6 months for the same offence. Samuel Corner, 23, who struck a police officer with a sledgehammer, was jailed for 7 years and 8 months
for inflicting grievous bodily harm and criminal damage.
Protesters are spoken to by police outside Woolwich Crown Court (Photo: PA Wire)
As he sentenced them, Mr Justice Johnson said the activists had been “reckless” about who would be injured, and had been heavily involved in organising the raid with the right of veto over each part of the plan.
Judge sentenced group
as terrorists
The four were sentenced as terrorists after the judge ruled in a pre-trial hearing the offences were linked to terrorism, but the lawyers defending Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Charlotte Head and Fatema Rajwani argued this doesn’t mean they are terrorists.
Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organisation in August 2024. The designation was deemed unlawful by a judge in February but remains in place.
NEWS
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news
Economy contracts for the first time in eight months – what it means
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 9: A person fills their car with fuel at a petrol station in Victoria on March 9, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. Fuel prices remain volatile as peace talks have stalled between the US and Iran in recent weeks. As a result, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues to be restricted, impacting the global supply chain of around one fifth of the world’s petroleum. In the face of rising costs of fuel, the UK government has eased sanctions on Russian oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) with a trade license that allows the import of Russian jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries, as well as the shipping of some LNG from Russia. (Photo by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)
Photographer: Alishia Abodunde
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
The UK economy declined last month, with GDP down 0.1 per cent in April. This is the latest sign that the war in Iran is affecting spending and industry in Britain.
The economy had grown by 0.4 per cent in February, and 0.3 per cent in March.
The key figures
The services sector fell by
0.2%
According to the Office for National Statistics.
Construction rose by 1 per cent and manufacturing by 0.4 per cent, helping to offset the decline.
9.1%
Was the biggest drop, reported by the sports industry, which saw many fixtures in the Middle East cancelled.
Retail figures fell by 1.3 per cent in part due to higher fuel costs.
Chancellor acknowledges impact of war at home
Before the conflict in the Middle East, growth was higher than expected and inflation was falling. This is not a war we wanted or joined, but one that will have an impact at home… We are getting on with the job of building a stronger and more secure economy.
chancellor of the ex-chequer rachel reeves
Lord Alan West said Rachel Reeves’s department ‘needs to be kicked into shape’ (Photo Stefan Rousseau/PA)
science
The little-known mineral that could help treat Alzheimer’s
Photographer: Andrew Brookes
Provider: Getty Images/Connect Images
Source: Connect Images
Currently a treatment for bipolar disorder, a naturally occurring mineral might prove the key to treating Alzheimer’s.
A lack of lithium may be part of the reason people are more susceptible to developing the memory problems with ageing that progress into Alzheimer’s disease.
Lithium’s benefits
Iceland is home to dozens of hot springs and geothermal baths (Photo: Sergio Amiti/Getty Images)
A long history
A naturally occurring mineral, it was recommended for health as early as the 1800s.
Bipolar treatment
In the 1950s, doctors started using it to treat “manic depression” as it was then known.
What is clear from the science is that we have as much control over when we hit middle age biologically as we do mentally (Photo: Halfpoint Images/Getty)
Try one of these methods to clear your mind (Photo: Richard Drury/Getty/Digital Vision)
Mysterious source
We still don’t know why it works as a mood regulator, but it keeps both mania and depression at bay.
New use discovered
About 20 years ago, hints emerged that lithium may also help in dementia – particularly Alzheimer’s disease, its main form. Bipolar patients taking lithium and people drinking water containing natural lithium had lower rates of dementia.
The giant Jianxiawo lithium mine in China, run by CATL, the world’s biggest battery producer (Photo: Gilles Sabrie / Bloomberg via Getty)
Senior man with Alzheimer’s and depression, sideways, looking out the window. Concept of old age, disease, loneliness, forgetfulness and memory. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
A small randomised trial suggested that low doses of lithium may slow the rate at which people progress to Alzheimer’s from mild cognitive impairment. But larger trials are needed before we know if it really works.
How does it work?
Some of the symptoms of menopause that are similar to those of dementia include memory issues and trouble with word retrieval (Photo: Andrew Brookes/Getty)
It inhibits the production of two proteins in the brain involved in Alzheimer’s, called amyloid and tau.
Lithium also seems to boost levels of other compounds that promote the survival of brain cells.
Analysis
3 min read
Lithium deficiency disease?
Lithium is sold as a supplement, with people usually buying it because they believe it improves their mood or mental abilities, according to a survey by Dr David Cousins, a psychiatrist at Newcastle University.
(Photo: Getty).
But as with all supplements, it is unclear whether lithium really is effective or could just be having a placebo effect. The dose in a supplement is much lower than in people prescribed lithium as a treatment for bipolar disorder.
football
The images that show Fifa’s World Cup ticket fiasco
As the biggest ever World Cup got under way last night, it was soon clear that controversy over ticket sales is not going away any time soon. Fans watching at home quickly spotted the ‘sold out’ games were not quite as packed as they could have been amid the furor over prices.
Boasts of a sold out stadium fall flat
Despite the stadium announcer claiming that 44,985 people had packed out the 45,664-capacity ground in Guadalajara for South Korea’s defeat of Czech Republic, pictures from the ground seemed to tell a different story.
Caption: Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group A – South Korea v Czech Republic – Estadio Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico – June 11, 2026 Empty seats are seen in the stands during the match REUTERS/Paul Childs
Photographer: Paul Childs
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
Caption: Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group A – South Korea v Czech Republic – Estadio Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico – June 11, 2026 Empty seats are seen in the stands during the match REUTERS/Paul Childs
Photographer: Paul Childs
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
Fifa’s biggest World Cup lie is in tatters
Fifa boss Gianni Infantino was in Guadalajara last night and presumably winced. Back in February, he was busy telling us that every match at this tournament would be a sellout, alongside his claim that there had been 508 million requests for seven million seats.
Each empty seat represents one of two things: a choice not to be there or an inability to afford it. Both are unacceptable.
This is either a failure in pricing – blocking out locals – or a failure in process.
How can Fifa claim games are sold out?
Infantino claimed: “77 out of these 104 matches have received requests for over one million tickets. Every match is sold out.”
What Fifa actually meant is that the current batch of tickets had sold out. To generate a perception of fever, there were staggered releases. The problem with that? People who might travel to this tournament from abroad have to make plans early. And clearly many locals had been priced out.
FOOTBALL
4 min read
On The Road
4 min read
The price, size and variety of eggs differ
But which is the best value
for money and taste?
Food Editor Sophie Morris
tested 15 supermarket packs, scrambled and fried.
Her findings? The most expensive wasn’t the best.
Supermarket eggs taste test
M&S Golden Yolk Eggs
These shells win the beauty contest and the yolk colour is amazing when scrambled. 4/5
Taste the Difference
These Sainsbury’s eggs taste as good as they look with gorgeous orange middles and a rich flavour. 4/5
St Ewe Rich Yolk Eggs
These are “higher welfare” free-range eggs but the yolks taste no better than other high-end eggs, says Morris. 4/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
Aldi Golden Yolk Eggs
Winner! The Specially Selected eggs are a great price with a delicious yolk. 4/5
Savers Small Eggs
Morrisons Savers eggs are great for the price (£1.10) but not rich in flavour. 3/5
Burford Brown Eggs
They taste great, but not noticeably better than the other high-end eggs. The spend is more to do with branding. 4/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
7Tesco Finest Bluebell Aruacana
The pale blue shells won me over but the insides are just as rewarding with a rich flavour.
4/5
8Waitrose Duchy Organic Eggs
Their sunny yellow middle scrambles beautifully into light, fluffy folds.
4/5
9Lidl Deluxe Golden Yolk Eggs
They’re a great deal and the yolk is a lovely bright orange and the taste is rich and eggy.
3.5/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
M&S British Free Range Eggs
Large eggs with brown shells and a light orange yolk and they’re a great price for high-welfare large eggs. 4/5
Ocado Large Free Range Eggs
These are the best value large eggs that I try. The yolks are a dark yellow and the eggs turn out a lovely rich and fluffy scramble. 4/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
Packington British Free Range Eggs
Pretty white eggs with a yellow yolk that taste fine but, given the price, I expected a little more. 3.5/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
Waitrose No.1 Longstock Gold Eggs
They are delicious: meltingly rich, they scramble into fat folds. They have beautiful green shells, almost too pretty to eat. 4/5
Caption: Eggs are seen in a carton on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Photographer: Jenny Kane
Provider: AP
Source: AP
Caption: A detail of cracked egg falling into the pan as woman holds egg shells in both hands.
Photographer: SimpleImages
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Asda Organic Mixed Size Eggs
The yolk is a pale yellow and when scrambled the result is an unappealing yellowish grey colour. These are the most bland-tasting of the lot. 2/5
Food inflation could reach as much as 10 per cent by the end of 2026
Why you should stockpile
The modern food system is incredibly efficient – but that efficiency depends on a constant flow and just-in-time delivery. Stockpiling, at its best, isn’t panic buying. It’s creating a small buffer between us and a system that was never designed to pause.
Séamus Higgins, author of Food and Us: The incredible story of how food shapes humanity
Supermarkets will find ways of holding down the price of the basics, and try to make their money on the fancy lines (Photo: Roy James Shakespeare/Getty)
What you should consider buying
Tap water is generally safe to drink in Europe (Photo: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty)
Bottled water
While we are accustomed to free-flowing water, in recent years, supply has failed for a number of days in many areas of the UK.
Canned essentials
Morris keeps tomatoes, beans, pulses, chickpeas, lentils and fish in her cupboard.
Chickpeas are a great source of protein (Photo: Christian Mouysset)
Many of us like to add milk to our tea, so you may be wondering whether that affects its benefits (Photo: Maca and Naca/Getty)
Tea and coffee
As prices vary, and are increasing, it’s good to bulk buy if you can.
What you should stockpile
Dried goods
A base of dry goods, like rice, pasta, oats and flour, are the backbone of a reliable pantry. Make sure bags are stored correctly and replace them when they go out of date.
Caption: Asian girl grocery shopping in supermarket. She is choosing fresh fruit juice along the beverage aisle, reading the nutrition label and checking ingredients on the bottle. Making a healthier food choice and balanced diet. Healthy eating lifestyle
Photographer: d3sign
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Caption: Close up of a woman preparing a wholesome breakfast by pouring oats into a bowl from a plastic free jar with fresh berries.
Photographer: Dougal Waters
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Digital Vision
Copyright: Dougal Waters Photography Ltd
UHT drinks
UHT dairy, squash and long life milks and juices are worth keeping for emergencies.
What you should stockpile
A well-stocked freezer is also important, but it doesn’t need to be a huge space.
Focus on versatility and rotation in fruit, veg, fish and bread, and buy what you’ll use.
Caption: Close-up of peanut butter on toasted bread on light gray plate. Food background.
Photographer: Yuliia Zaitseva
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Source: iStockphoto
Peanut butter, or a jarred treat like jam or Nutella, is also a good idea.
Nut butters are a great source of protein, fibre, has a long shelf life and can be used on savoury and sweet foods.
Want to slow down brain ageing? Try a hobby
The hobbies that slow brain ageing
Practise a musical instrument
A study of 108 amateur musicians in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found those with more musical experience had better attention control.
Caucasian mid adult patient writing a diary while recovering in the hospital ward – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Caption: IVANO-FRANKIVSK, UKRAINE – NOVEMBER 13, 2022 – Musicians of the NAONI Orchestra (National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Ukraine) hold a concert at the Ivan Franko Academic Regional Ukrainian Music and Drama Theatre in Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine. (Photo credit should read Yurii Rylchuk / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Photographer: Future Publishing
Provider: Future Publishing via Getty Imag
Source: Future Publishing
Journal in the evening before bed
Reflecting on your day supports your memory as you’re rehearsing the things you’ve done, especially if you do it with pen and paper, says Prof Catherine Loveday, author of The Secret World of the Brain.
The hobbies that slow brain ageing
The flowering gardens at Cawdor Castle (Photo: Dennis Barnes/Getty/Stockbyte Unreleased)
Garden for 20 minutes
Connecting with nature replenishes cognitive resources and boosts vitamin D levels, says Loveday.
Join a knitting group
Knitting improves coordination and working memory – your brain’s ability to store and use information according to the British Journal of Occupational Therapy.
Senior female friends spending leisure time knitting while sitting at table in retirement home – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
As society sees the largest ever intergenerational shift of assets, younger clients will need people they can relate to, instead of relying on AI and social media for financial advice (Photo: Getty)
Learn a language
Learning a second language helps improve our ability to retrieve words.
The hobbies that slow
brain ageing
Games, like Minecraft, helps improve spatial representation, speed and reaction times.
Reading fiction twice a week stimulates the language parts
of the brain, says Loveday.
One study also found that chess players had better cognitive reflection and greater focus.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
The result is “the best possible one from the mainstream European point of view,” James Nixey, acting head of research and analysis at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies, told The i Paper.
He framed it as “a victory for reasonably democratic, liberal forces against pro-Kremlin opposition. This gives Armenia its best possible chance, albeit in difficult conditions”.
Putin’s blunders abroad
Armenia has historically strong ties to Russia, but a series of Russian diplomatic and military missteps have soured relations between the two countries in recent years, fuelling pro-European sentiment. Most notable is the perception that, since 2020, Russia has failed to come to Armenia’s aid during offensives by neighbouring Azerbaijan into the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.
Armenia had called for Russian military aid through the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, a Nato-styled military alliance headed by Russia. However, Russia’s peacekeeping forces in the region failed to maintain a ceasefire, and Azerbaijan seized the territory, displacing around 100,000 Armenians in the process.
Natia Seskuria, a senior research fellow in Russian and Eurasian security at Rusi, told The i Paper that this was a “crucial turning point” in the relationship between Russia and Armenia.
After that, Armenia froze its membership of the alliance and is taking active steps to leave it. The shock of the conflict triggered the forming of stronger European ties through the EU Mission in Armenia.
“This perceived strategic vulnerability has created a political necessity for diversification and reassessment of foreign partnerships,” Zoe Neiman, an expert in Russian and Eurasian security at the Royal United Services Institute, wrote this month.
Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan after his party won parliamentary elections earlier this week. The victory highlights growing pro-EU sentiment in the former Soviet Union territory (Photo: Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty)
The vote came as Putin is seeing himself fall behind strongmen rivals like US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping when it comes to conveying power, especially in his backyard.
Neiman told The i Paper that Moscow will be “less focused on the election result itself than on Armenia’s longer-term policy direction”.
She said that Russia retains substantial economic influence through trade, energy and labour migration links, and would likely react more strongly to concrete steps towards deeper EU integration than to the outcome of any single election. “The key issue for Moscow is whether Armenia’s diversification remains limited and pragmatic, or develops into a more fundamental geopolitical reorientation.
“As for what this says about Russia’s wider global ambitions… All I’ll say is that Armenia illustrates a challenge Russia faces in several regions: maintaining influence through economic and political leverage after confidence in its security guarantees has been weakened.”
The Kremlin applied considerable pressure during the run-up to the election itself, with Putin calling on Armenia to hold a referendum on joining the EU versus remaining in the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.
“The Kremlin put a lot of effort into trying to promote candidates who were seen as more pro-Russian,” said Seskuria.
Keen to remind Armenia that Russia is its main trading partner, Putin also banned imports of products including various fruits and vegetables, alcoholic drinks, and flowers in the run-up to the vote. Ominously, he also alluded to “the Ukrainian scenario” as a warning against Armenia having closer European ties.
Clinging on to global influence
Through the election, Russia now has a weakened hand where it could have previously counted on unquestioned loyalty – a pattern that is being repeated across the globe.
Russia maintains its military foothold in Syria’s Tartus air base, but the 2024 ousting of president Bashar al-Assad has deprived Putin of a major ally. Meanwhile, Iran – a key partner in the supply of Shahed drones – has been weakened by the war with the US and Israel. The Russian President is also seeing his influence in the volatile region of sub-Saharan Africa slip, as costs spiral and competition increases.
“The restructuring of the mercenary Wagner group after the mutiny in June 2023 really diminished Russia’s influence in Africa compared to nearer the start of the war in Ukraine,” said Seskuria. “There is much more competition now with powers like China trying to strengthen their foothold on the continent.”
Regardless of the election outcome, the fate of countries like Armenia remains closely bound to that of Russia, Nixey said. “If Russia is beaten back in Ukraine, it’s hard to see it selecting Armenia next. However, a victorious Russia might be looking to quell other ‘rebellious’ – i.e. independently minded – sovereign states.”
Nixey added: “Russia is definitely losing its grip, but it can do a lot of damage on the way down.”