Buried in the 29th paragraph, and I kid you not:
"A British defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military information, said a defense police investigation found no evidence to conclusively link the drone sightings in the UK. to Russia."
This is disinformation (or at best grossly misleading framing). Russia did not “sell 71% of its sovereign gold reserves.” The 71% figure refers only to gold held in the National Wealth Fund, which was drawn down to cover budget deficits and avoid borrowing.
Moscow’s actual sovereign gold stockpile is held by the Central Bank (over 2,300 tons). And thanks to rising gold prices, the value of Russia’s reserves has increased massively since 2022.
By over $216 billion, according to Bloomberg.