Absence fuels succession chatter around Russia’s central bank

Elvira Nabiullina’s prolonged public absence has sparked speculation about who would succeed her when her term ends next June, with officials weighing a potential shake-up of the Bank of Russia’s powers and possible successors such as Maxim Oreshkin or Pyotr Fradkov. Nabiullina returned to cut the key rate to 14.25%, but Putin’s backing remains unclear on whether she stays, as Moscow contends with the wartime economy, inflation pressures and sanctions.