Missing Worlds probably hasn't affected their rankings much at all, as the only points that Worlds would affect is the first column in the rankings tables, the ISU championships column.
They would need to have come 6th or higher to improve on the 680 points they got at Euros.
Even if they had managed a 4th place, which was highly unlikely, it would've only improved their total to 875 points, which is less than the 200 points extra, considerably less than they could earn in a single B international.
They are right to want to do B internationals, as once the points are updated in June, they will plummet in the rankings, as they got zero ISU ranking points last season. That will cost them dearly. Ironically the highest ranking team will be Tarasova's darlings Stepanova and Bukin, with Ruslena close behind them.
Well, it's unknown how they would have done at World. They consistently progressed through the season, their FD score, for example, was bumped from 96 something at SkCan to 107 something at Euros, which is more than 10 points progress. They were in front of Cappellini/Lanotte at Euros in FD (who were clean), which is a very good sign. They also changed something in their SD prior to Worlds, so I take it was some improvements too. And considering that Worlds this year were like Christmas to ALMOST ALL the teams, I'm sure they would have scored massively and probably would have been close to top 5 at least. Of course, we will never know now. Unfortunately.
And second, after re-reading I think he actually meant their GP perspectives. They're not guaranteed 2 GP spots for the next season, right?
And yeah, I agree about challengers. I always wondered why Russian teams almost always skip them. It makes zero sence. None. It's not only rating points, which is extremely important in Bobrova/Soloviev's case, but also independent feedback from international judges and technical panels. Knowing the history of Bobrova/Soloviev's dances, it is at least as important as rating points. Anyway, I hope they will do 2 events and get 2 GPs. It would be great for them.