With the rampant corruption?
Theoretically with all the amassed oil wealth they could already be unstoppable. Instead it was spent on lavish villas, yachts, an so on.
What's the point of having hundreds of billions in the bank when the population is still living with Soviet infrastructure?
What about the Ukrainian arms industry, and 40 million ukranians to work to death or expend on the front lines like cannon fodder?
And the whole keeping the populace on the brink of starvation and fully dependent on the state is a feature not a bug. Russians that lived through the 90s with food riots and lawlessness remember.... Vividly. They will do/accept almost anything to avoid it again.
Commanding 20% of the world’s food supply, Russia could cause hyperinflation and food riots anywhere it pleases. If they do take the Baltic States, it’ll be after half of NATO is paralysed by French-style protests from people who literally can’t put food on the table.
Direct link to the article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/02/with-ukraines-resources-putin-would-be-invincible/
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