By Western Standards, Russia is in sovereign default. Of course, Putin has now proven that this doesn't matter and that the entire system is a sham.GDP(PPP) is a tool better at assessing a country’s product for internal operations/purposes than GDP(nominal) which doesn’t adjust a Nations GDP to its own cost-of-living index. That’s to say GDP(PPP) does not take into account the actual value of a nation’s product as traded with other countries around the globe. GDP(Nominal) puts Russia actually beneath Canada, so even its gas and oil exports internationally don’t out it on par with maple syrup land. Internal sure, for now, until Russia’s 16-17-18% prime lending rate causes its GDP(PPP) even to fall significantly compared to other high GDP nations trading relatively unrestrictedly internationally.
But if we changed the dates and looked at the data from 1960 or 1980 or 2000 - Russia would be pretty much the exact same in proportion to the US. They've always had a had strong production aspect to their economy. Its the simple fact that they fail at such things as; efficiency/effective use of the goods they produce, corruption, transportation, ability to match 'producers with users', ability to produce what consumers want, quantity vs quality, etc.By Western Standards, Russia is in sovereign default. Of course, Putin has now proven that this doesn't matter and that the entire system is a sham.
My point stands that the Russian Economy is a lot larger than what is portrayed in the media. It's also geared towards providing the goods & services required to wage industrial war.
Take Steel Production for instance:
Annual production steel data
worldsteel.org
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Russia is actually on par with the United States when it comes to Steel Production and it dwarfs its nearest European competitors. Russia was, up until the war in Ukraine, a large exporter of steel and the vast majority of it was being exported to the West.
The United States and Germany are actually the two biggest importers of Steel in the World. The US imports roughly 30% of their total Steel used each year. Germany (and Canada) import about 50% respectively.
Another indicator is sector weighting and it tells its own story:
View attachment 87862
All this to say, Russia might not have the Big Mac but they've got all the necessary resources and tools to make their own. Much of their industry is also defacto State controlled so it can be oriented on target accordingly.
Like so many other economies controlled by their Governments. Read the book "Gun" by CJ Chivers that talks about the development and manufacture of the AK series of rifle. It covers all of this but also outlines why the Russian system is incredibly effective at churning out large amounts of weaponry.But if we changed the dates and looked at the data from 1960 or 1980 or 2000 - Russia would be pretty much the exact same in proportion to the US. They've always had a had strong production aspect to their economy. Its the simple fact that they fail at such things as; efficiency/effective use of the goods they produce, corruption, transportation, ability to match 'producers with users', ability to produce what consumers want, quantity vs quality, etc.
Oligarchs have to pay for their megayachts somehow. It’s not rocket science to know that a whole bunch of Russian GDP is being funneled to a few and doesn’t help the motherland whatsoever.But if we changed the dates and looked at the data from 1960 or 1980 or 2000 - Russia would be pretty much the exact same in proportion to the US. They've always had a had strong production aspect to their economy. Its the simple fact that they fail at such things as; efficiency/effective use of the goods they produce, corruption, transportation, ability to match 'producers with users', ability to produce what consumers want, quantity vs quality, etc.
…and megayachts…It covers all of this but also outlines why the Russian system is incredibly effective at churning out large amounts of weaponry.
The biggest aspect that is often missed is the fact that the "butter" that Russia requires to "feed" themselves is a tiny slice than that required by the West.The problem is that the US and the West have collectively allowed their Heavy Industry and Industrial Base to evaporate as a consequence of globalization.
By PPP, the Russian Economy is the 4th or 6th largest in the World depending on who you ask. It's on par with Japan and Germany in terms of value and close to 30% of it is tied to industrial outputs.
Western Economies are heavily tied to services and we actually produce very little. Lots of technology and knowledge is produced here but that doesn't help when it comes to pumping out guns & butter.
It turns out the Russian Economy is great at pumping out both guns and butter. The technology can be bought/stolen very easily and Russia has their own large cohort of Engineers/Scientists to put the stuff together.
But, just as in the overflights and occasional impacts of drones onto NATO soil, with Snake Sullivan as the 'brain' behind US and thus NATO responses, what will be done beyond 'thoughts and prayers - we will watch and wait for as long as it takes' Very likely absolutely nothing.Russian forces are increasingly executing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers throughout the frontline likely in part because Russian commanders appear to be endorsing the proliferation of such war crimes. CNN reported on September 6 that it obtained footage showing Russian forces executing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast in late August 2024 and Zaporizhia Oblast in May 2024.[25] Ukrainian defense intelligence reportedly gave CNN transcripts of audio intercepts from the May 2024 execution that showed that a Russian commander gave his subordinates the order to kill the surrendering Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian defense intelligence sources also reportedly gave CNN a list of 15 cases of Russian forces executing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline since November 2023 - most of which included supporting drone footage or audio intercepts, and an anonymous Ukrainian official told CNN that the "pattern" of such executions has increased in 2024. Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin told CNN that the Prosecutor General's office has investigated at least 28 such executions since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kostin stated that different Russian units operating in different sectors of the front have committed these crimes leading Ukraine to assert that this Russian policy could amount to crimes against humanity. A United Nations (UN) investigative source told CNN that the "pattern" of these Russian executions "suggests complacency, if not orders to give no quarter" and that together they could amount to crimes against humanity. Attacking soldiers who are hors de combat, specifically those who have clearly expressed an intention to surrender, is a violation of Article 41 of the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Victims of International Arms Conflict.[26] ISW has extensively reported on previous footage and reports of Russian servicemembers executing Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and observed a wider trend of prolific Russian abuses against Ukrainian POWs across various sectors of the front that appeared to be enabled, if not explicitly endorsed, by individual Russian commanders and upheld by Russian field commanders.[27]
That's one Pinata you obvious don't want to hit with a stick or a gun.....Well, if it's stupid and it works (it's still stupid and you're just lucky).
More like a self-propelled wasp's nest.That's one Pinata you obvious don't want to hit with a stick or a gun.....