Resolves to YES if either the move is officially announced, or if it happens in practice with most government activities moving to a different city.
The idea is floated in this video.
While I don't especially trust the source, I can see several reasons why:
Putin might actually be afraid of NATO. If Ukraine gets permanently in their orbit and Sweden and Finland too, he might judge it's too risky to stay there. Ukraine already proved they have the means and will to hit Moscow (so far with drones).
Putin is obsessed with linking this to WWII, and moving the vital infrastructure of the USSR to the Urals and beyond was an impressive feat that is still celebrated and likely was essential to victory
The regime might be unable to spare the population of Moscow from mobilization and shortages. If that happens, there will be protests, and the government might want to be able to suppress them violently without phisical danger to itself.
Moscow is mostly a giant expense; the only truly important asset in Russia is its oilfields, which are in Siberia, often in lands that are only tenuously Russian. Moving the capital might make it easier to ensure they don't slip from Russian control. And the boost in economic activity that the government would bring might directly buy loyalty.
Putin has bet everything on a pivot to China, and this would embody embracing the Asian side of Russia. At the same time, ensuring that closer ties to China don't result into Siberia outright slipping into Chinese more than Muscovite control.
Good old corruption. Building a city is a big expense, which might reward loyal oligarchs.
At the same time, of course, Moscow is Moscow.
Mar 11, 2:03pm: Will Russia move the capital away from Moscow before 2024? → Will Russia move the capital away from Moscow before the end of 2024?
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