Last month, the Russian government released a draft of the proposed 2026–2028 federal budget, which purports to show the near-term priorities of President Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Milov, a Russian opposition politician who left Russia after Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, has released a pessimistic assessment of the former KGB lieutenant colonel’s chances of being able to continue to bankroll his war in Ukraine.
In his latest report for the Foundation, he projects rough times ahead for Moscow due to a series of unfavorable trends.
According to his analysis, Russia’s budgetary situation is anything but “normal.”
How many times over the last few years has Russia been days away from defeat?
Always about to run out of money and need peace talks, yet also always ready to strike a sneak attack on all of NATO without a moment’s notice.
It’s a catch 22 for Putin. If he quits the war now, he will face domestic coup because it showed how weak he is. If he continues the war longer, it will jeopardise the entire future of the Russian country even further.
I, too, am tired of these “any minute now” nonsense about Russia’s potential fall. The problem with people is the craving for instant gratification and results. We’re so pathetic in that regard.
People with longer optics will say that Putinist Russia will fall, but it will be at any time in the coming years. It’s always a slow burn just like US decline since Iraq and Afgan war. Imperialist escapades will always have negative consequences to the imperialist state which reverberate across time. The only winner coming out of both US and Russian declines is China. Maybe India and Brazil will benefit from this as well. Perhaps Europe as well if Europe could decouple from the US in due time.
Just as many as this is what will get taken down by lawsuits|investigations|scandals