This dude gets all his information from conspiracy theory channels on telegram like a true intellectual.

Can't believe I'm getting shade from the dude who can't even read the contradictions he wrote himself. Your argument style seems to involve attempting to insult your way out of the corners you back yourself into.

It was not, because the proxy war is going so great that there's no unanimous agreement on funding it anymore.

It was agreed back in February, that Orban fella who previously agreed to the deal in December is now backing out and attempting to veto the deal. Luckily Orban is a lame duck, he will be gone on April 12th where he is predicted to lose the election by double digit points. So long to the fat Russian stooge.

The only thing shrinking here is your peanut sized brain.

Live in denial all you want but it is clear that there are two economies at the moment in Russia, the war economy and the civilian one. The civilian economy is currently being cannibalised to support the war economy. Sky high interest rates and persistent inflation have lead to businesses in Russia closing at an ever increasing rate.

https://www.reuters.com/business/russia-many-restaurants-cafes-close-consumption-stalls-amid-major-slowdown-2026-02-19/

Less than 8% of the overall economy but keep on braying.

As you keep on ignoring all of the manpower committed to the war effort and hundreds of billions in equity given to the MIC. Even without that, 8% of GDP is absolutely significant. Keep huffing that copium, makes everything better I suppose.

It really is laughable how Europe managed to destroy itself in a war with Russia once again.

The same Europe that is yet to lose a man is somehow destroyed. Most of Europe has genuinely forgot the war is even happening. I haven't heard it mentioned in years, people in Europe really don't give a shit about the war any more and certainly haven't noticed Europe "destroying itself". Hilarious hyperbole.

You should let Ukrainians know ASAP, seems like you have a better understanding of the war than they do

The Telegraph is a right wing tabloid, they have consistently backed the Russian viewpoint in this war and have zero credibility. The article is also behind a pay wall, I am not going out of my way to read this article that I am sure you have not even read.

Ah yes, the guy who thinks that war of attrition is about territory is now lecturing on the distinction between WW1 and WW2.

If all else fails pull out a straw man eh buddy, much easier to fight than a real opponent. I just pointed out that Ukraine took back 10% of Russia's 2025 gains in the last month. You then screamed that it was a war of attrition that I didn't understand and that somehow losing territory is good for Russia? We've all been watching Russian soldiers being blown to bits in large groups for the last month. The only country attriting it's troops en masse is Russia. This fundamental intellectual dishonesty is why Russia are going to lose this war. They can't even be honest with themselves.

Also, love how you're dumb enough to think your oligarch owned media isn't propaganda bud.

I literally say "mainstream media is brain rot" where you yourself quoted me directly below where you say this statement. Your reading comprehension is so bad I'm sure they have a category in the Special Olympics for people like you.

Ah yes, that's why the EU is now struggling to approve another 90 billion for the proxy war.

But that was approved.

Show me a single fox article I linked lying little shit.

Whoosh! This one obviously went right over your head. It's a term of phrase for people who get all their news from mainstream media, usually older people.

that Russian industry has actually been growing to fill the niches left by western companies leaving.

Russian industry outside of the mitary industrial estate complex is shrinking. Russia has not miraculously created a successful perfect "juche" economy in 4 years, they have just become dependent on China for all the things they used to buy from Europe, USA and the allies sanctioning Russia. Have a look at North Korea for Russia's future.

What I actually said was that military spending in Russia accounts for a small part of the overall economy

40% of all government spending on the military + the $100s of billions in loans to defence contractors from commercial banks + all of the able bodied men committed is not a small part of the economy by any description.

Wars of attrition aren't about taking ground, but clearly you lack cognitive capacity to get that through that thick skull of yours

Laughable that Russia, the supposed second military in the world ended up in such a war on their border with Ukraine.

Russian goal is the destruction of the AFU,

No shit, you should give Russian command a call, they could really use you!

and as the site linked which actually explains its methodology shows, that goal is progressing steadily.

We can all find articles that fit our own confirmation bias.

Once the AFU collapses, Russia can take any and all territory it wants

There is no sign of this happening though. If anything Russian lines are looking pretty shakey at the minute.

Just as it happened during WW2 when the front was static for whole four years and then the Soviet army marched on Berlin in months

This war is nothing like WW2 though, it is much closer to ww1. The major difference between them and now is the drones and Ukraine's drone game is currently better.

You really must have a fetish for public humiliation

I really don't think anyone gives a shit to be reading all of the shite we just wrote, just us two idiots.

I showed you articles from mainstream financial publications. You dismiss them without addressing anything they say, and then in the next breath tell me that Russian economy is collapsing because some telegram channel told you so.

Mainstream financial publications like the cccp owned Global Times News. That's state propaganda bud, sure you guys can't even tell the difference. All of the financial information I gave you, like Russia's M2 situation are from respected economic information aggregators, the Russian telegram channels just tell me how badly Russia is currently doing on the front line. You seem to be getting confused.

Literally every article in mainstream western media says that

This is likely your problem, the mainstream media is brain rot, nobody reads it anymore which is why they are not doing well financially. I also dislike when people use "literally" when it is not appropriate in the sentence. It makes me feel like I'm talking to a poorly educated teenager.

The only reason Ukraine is able to keep fighting is because NATO is pouring hundreds of billions of resources taken from its own people into it every single year. That's why the standard of living in the west is now collapsing

Financing Ukraine in this war is a drop in the economic bucket, remember the EU economy is 10 times the size of the Russian one. If it is hurting the EU imagine what it's doing to Russia. There are other reasons for the sluggish EU growth but this is not the forum for that.

Again, mainstream western media disagrees with your delusions.

Again with your mainstream media, you need to get off Fox news grandpa and get with the 21st century.

That's money coming from the pockets of mouth breathers such as yourself.

I will pay it happily if it keeps the Russian hordes in Mordor. On a more positive note I have found my European holidays more enjoyable for the same reason.

The first of the linked sites you posted, ukrainewarlosses.org was interesting, it seems very similar to the more official .com version but when I looked into it's ownership I could not find it, seems very sketchy. You should be more careful about the sources you chose to post, unverified slop like this site makes you look like a bad actor.

You then seem to think that Russia won't collapse because America spends more money than Russia on defence. I fail to see the logic here, you promised to explain it to me using smaller words. It appears to me that you do t understand the fundamental differences in the size and scale of the US economy and the benefits of possessing the world reserve currency. The USA are also only spending about 3% of GDP on this war compared with Russia's 8%. ( This is discounting the credit Russian banks have extended to the military industrial complex on the orders of Putin as an "off books" method to finance the war.)

It's called trade, but I guess it's difficult for somebody living in a vassal state to understand how trade between two countries works without one being taken advantage of.

China is by far the bigger player in Sino-Russian relations. Russia is also in a desperate starting position of having no other option when trading due to the richer half of the world sanctioning and not wanting to do business with them. If you do not believe that China will take advantage of this situation you are hopelessly naïve. Check out how the negotiations are going over the pipeline going to China, not good for Russia. In economics, in order to achieve the best price it is always favourable to have many customers competing for your product, not one big customer who can dictate terms to you.

Go read up what a war of attrition is so you don't keep making a clown of yourself.

Ah so a war of attrition is one where Russia struggles to take ground against their much smaller neighbor for 4 years while their economy goes down the toilet. I was such a fool, I get it now!

This is just yet another Russian excuse for failure. I used to think that an economic path to victory was Ukraine's only hope but watching them absolutely batter Russia the last few months I'm starting to think Ukraine can beat Russia back to their borders. Ukrainians have a much better and more modern army structure, Ukrainian NCOs can make decisions on the field where the Russian soldiers stand around in large groups like idiots waiting for orders and get cancelled in big groups. Russia is finding it harder to keep what is happening on the front lines a secret so they are running out of voluntary sign up meat.

Why do European regimes ban Russian media and want to personally identify you all online? This doesn’t sound like something the winning side

Russian media ban is because RT is just a propaganda network, why would Europe let Russia beam propaganda in when fighting a proxy war, this is a no brainer and Russia does the exact same thing. You then accuse Europe of wanting to personally identify everyone online, a small group tried and it got voted down and looks unlikely to have a hope of passing. In the meantime we have Russia forcing it's citizens to use Russia Max government app for all payments and communication, messing up the army who use signal and telegram but are now throttled. You can see your projection from the moon dude!

This doesn’t sound like something the winning side would be doing

I know right? This is why Russia is doing it and Ukraine is not, your words homie. I do love our little chats.

Off to your safe space!

Absolutely hilarious how you continue to claim this even after I've already linked you a bunch of articles showing that industry in the EU is collapsing

You show me some doomer articles from right wing press like they are a slam dunk while I base my figures on actual GDP figures and statistics based on the EUs and Russia's published financial reports. These two things are not the same, I have not seen any real evidence of EU industry collapsing, you are just a massive drama queen who believes every article they read.

Russia has also not replaced EU companies with domestic industry, they have switched to Chinese products further increasing their dependency on China.

NATO is increasing its weapon output but we are not under pressure to do so as we are not at war. Russia meanwhile drives ladas to the front line with no care for protecting their troops while Ukraine uses MRAPS. For all of Russia's supposed increase in production it is not evident on the front lines. More Russian fluff and lies.

Russia is very obviously not dependent on China the way you are dependent on the US because Russia produces its own necessities such as food and energy

Russia's dependency on China is existential, for the war effort and Putin regime anyway. If China withdrew support tomorrow, the Russian war effort would collapse. Russia is not an industrial or manufacturing power and could in no way support their war effort without China. Food and energy are not the only things an army needs.

That's cute, now compare that with the US.

Always with the whataboutery with you guys isn't it.

Meanwhile, in the real world

Further emphasising Russia's dependence on China and vassal status.

I get my information from mainstream western media which, if you actually follow it, clearly explains that Russia is steadily making progress in Ukraine,

This explains why you think the way you do. If that is where you get your information you are weeks behind and are likely unaware of Ukraine's recent improvements in drone range and tactics that are destroying Russian logistics. Ukraine are the ones taking land now as Russia attempts to recruit more Kenyan mercenaries. Why does the Russian regime keep on turning off the internet in Moscow? This doesn't sound like something the winning side would be doing. Putin seems worried...

You keep on being delusional until reality hits you in the face.

Could say the same to you as Russia's front lines collapse. Putin's response is to shut off the internet, brave.

Don't reply or I'll have to block you if you annoy me more

I do what I want, you'll tell me nothing. You Russia boys are a bunch of soft snowflakes. If you don't want this conversation to continue all you have to do is not respond. Don't give me cowardly meek threats, block away and protect your safe space if you need to, I don't care.

What you clearly seem to be missing is that the quality of the economy that matters. In Russia, the economy consists of actual industry and material production.

Tripping over your own shoe laces right out of the fat once again, impressive. The EU has a much larger and more diverse manufacturing sector both in raw size and as a percentage of GDP. Remember the EU economy is 10 times the size of Russia's, the EUs manufacturing output alone is larger than the Russian economy. Russia's manufacturing sector has increased since the war, this is largely military industrial output. Russian manufacturing has also faced a severe manpower shortage lately for some reason. Russia is a resource mining and export economy, a "gas station" if you will.

And the fact that Russian industrial output is outpacing all of NATO says all we need to know here.

I am sure you mean military industrial output because overall industrial output we have seen is not bigger. Have you ever thought that maybe Russias military industrial output is bigger because they are at war and NATO are not? Are you actually for real?

Trade numbers with India and China has naturally gone up as Russia is a commodity exporter and their previous largest customers don't want to do business any more so Russia has picked the next best option.

Hilarious of you to clutch your pearls after outright dismissing western media showing how European economies are collapsing as fear mongering.

What you call pearl clutching I call reality. It is a fact that Russia is not releasing all of their financial information, this is not a secret. Since 2022, Russia has systematically restricted access to key statistics, removing over 168 tables from statistical yearbooks and halting updates to over 115 indicators on the EMISS system. Hidden data includes detailed household incomes, budgetary expenditures, state salaries, and trade figures, aiming to conceal the war's true economic impact.

I have not seen any evidence of "European economies collapsing". Many would say they have weathered the storm of losing the untrustworthy supplier they developed an overdependence on quite well.

RAND consistently represents the US government motivations dronie

No, it is a right wing think tank that is famous for being consistently incorrect from its mistakes in getting America to go to war in Vietnam and then to prolong it all the way up to the Iraq war. Rand represents the view points of its biggest doners and no credible person should take them seriously due to their track record. Look it up for yourself dronie.

LMAO this is what we call projection because it's precisely what's happening to Europe right now.

Not projection, you are correct about European position under the USA and it has been this way since WW2. Russia used to be sovereign, it is no longer, now it is completely dependent on China the way Europe is on the USA. How does it feel to be the proxy?

. Russia can do the exact same type of money printing the west does. They simply haven't had a reason to do that so far. Nobody with a working brain anticipates any Russian default

There is a difference between borrowing on the bond market and printing money. Your response makes it sound like you don't understand this. You also don't seem to be aware that the Russian money machine has been going brrrr since COVID,they have been printing money like crazy! https://tradingeconomics.com/russia/money-supply-m2

Russia has been trying and failing to raise money on the bond markets since the war started, still no takers because everybody believes Russia will default like they always do. This is not secret information, it has been widely reported on.

And they're constantly proven to be wrong, but hey why look at what's actually happening in the war when you can just cherry pick information that feeds into your delusions right?

The milibloggers getting info from the front lines? Individuals have been wrong, but when they are all talking about front line collapse, inability to counter drones and lack of communications all at once you should start to believe. Where do you get your information from? I would love to know what source you have more reliable than the Russian milibloggers.

Stay smug little fash, life's about to get real hard for you and I'm here for it.

Somehow I doubt it. I love in Ireland, we are cool here. My biggest problem at the moment is that I have to wait 6 weeks for my new giant sliding doors to be imported from Barcelona. First world problems, I know. I appreciate your sympathy but you should really spend it on someone more deserving.

You guys normally have a bit more fight in you, not used to you just laying down like this. I'm sure the long war has taken a toll on you and like the Russian soldiers on the front line you have decided to just give up.

I actually think Russia is close to the end. They have been getting meeker and meeker lately with their statements and the 2 week long mobile internet blackout in Moscow has been suspicious to say the least....

Despite Russia's failure on the battlefield they are still an old imperial power holding vast quantities of land from the days of the Romanov's. They still hold power over multiple cultures and ethnicities and brutally suppress secessionist movements.

Fortunately the Trump government seems to be putting the American empire into an unrecoverable tail spin as a result of his and his movements almost unparalleled ignorance. We might just get to see this multipolar world, I actually think the future will be bipolar with India and China as the competing powers. The west has had its time.

When you're too dumb to tell the difference between government spending and the overall economy.

The government are the biggest spenders in the economy, 40% of government spending going on war is a significant economic driver. If you do not understand this simple fact your teachers and parents should be ashamed of you. This is before we get into the off the books spending on the war, commercial banks being forced to lend to defencs companies that is unlikely to be repaid. This would double Russia's war spend to closer to the 15% of GDP that brought down the soviet union. I don't care about the USA and hope they go bust just like Russia.

Last I looked growth in Europe is worse than in Russia

Incorrect again, Russian growth 2025 was 1%, the EU which is 10 times the size of Russia's economy grew at 1.5% despite further weaning off cheap Russian oil.

and nobody even knows wtf is going on in the US because they're cooking their numbers. Anybody who isn't lying would obviously mention this fact.

Hilarious hypocrisy coming from a Russian supporter. Russia has not released their real financials since the war began, we can only estimate from the limited data we have because they are obscuring the real situation. The USA has always had the most detailed published financial figures, this transparency is a reason they have the biggest economy. Under trump they have started hiding the jobs figures but not much else.

Anybody who isn't lying would obviously mention this fact.

Then why didn't you mention Russian obfuscation? By your own standards you must by lying then!

Anybody who has a functioning brain would understand why China would not want Russia to collapse economically.

I can't believe you are quoting Rand, the dumbest of all the think-tanks. Do a little bit of research on them before using them as a source, makes you look quite uneducated. Rand and yourself clearly do not understand China's goals and motivations. I fortunately have Chinese family and a foot in that world so I can educate you. China thinks Russia was stupid to start the war with Europe especially since they left 300 billion in EU control when going to war with them. Without China's support Russia would have lost the war a long time ago. China is giving Russia enough support to keep going but not enough to win the war. A long war causes more damage to Russia and pushes them deeper under China's thumb as a vassal state. China still wants Manchuria back, look at how few Russians live in the area and how many Chinese live both over the border and over the Russian side. What is to stop China taking the land to protect the ethnic Chinese living there? This process has already begun.

One large customer being all of BRICS

Brics is a Mickey mouse organisation, how much oil has India bought from Russia since the secondary sanctions kicked in recently? India are exploring the cheap Russian oil when it suits them and making bank off Russia's resources. They then leave Russia high and dry when the going gets tough, great friends!

Oh wow, official deficit of 2.6% of GDP. That sounds terrible!! Remind me what that's like for western countries again Einstein

It's like talking to a small child who doesn't understand, the emojis really add to this impression. Western countries can borrow to fund deficits, nobody has been willing to lend to Russia since the war started despite Russia offering huge returns. Russia needs to find deficits from its rapidly diminishing sovereign wealth fund. Even China will not lend to Russia as the anticipated a default.

If you have been following this conflict at all then you would be aware that Russian milibloggers are the biggest drama queens around.

They have given us the only view inside the Russian war machine other than the state narrative. You can believe the state of you like or vibes or whatever, I will continue to trust the best source of inside information we have, typically from the troops themselves.

There is no war in Ba Sing Se, keep feeding me delicious propaganda daddy Putin, eat it up good, yum yum. Let's talk about the mobile internet blackouts in Moscow the last 2 weeks, this does not sound like winning to me. Sounds like daddy Putin is afraid of a coup.

You can continue to enjoy the hardship you are so great at tolerating. Life in Europe has not changed one bit, nobody even talks about the war in Ukraine, not now, barely even in 2022. It's big news for you guys though as you endure hardships that we don't even notice. Martyrs for nothing, lol.