"Putin and his Oligarch buds are buying the hell out of the Bitcoin"
I'm sure there are other forces that know exactly what's going on. May be forming a trap of sorts. Could be just a way to keep the energy spigot on. We also know that there are State hacking groups and they have infiltrated BTC at times and the ability to do so is well established. Could be some manipulated corrections in the works later down the road. Gold has been used in this environment in the past and currently. Just a New World continuance? At any rate, there will be a cost of laundering to the Russians, how much is a ?.
Kleptocrats: a ruler who uses political power to steal his or her country's resources.
Kleptocracy: government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed.