Russia has immense wealth, but instead of improving life, it just does wars all around the world.

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1. A small group of Russians may have extraordinary wealth but the vast majority of them do not. For decades now Russia’s middle class has bled away and what is left is a huge disparity between those with and without wealth. Even before the Bolsheviks basically declared war on the middle class even Tsarist Russia actively prevented the growth of personal wealth, it makes the population easier to control when they can barely survive and drown their sorrows with their state owned supply of Vodka.

   It isn’t just a meme, Russia has for over a hundred years ensured it’s people have access to state owned vodka. The assurance of being supplied what is an ‘opiate of the masses’ has ensured a placated and easily manipulated population. It is generally believed that a significant portion of Putin’s own wealth comes from shadow ownership of one of the largest Vodka producers in Russia.

   Putin’s ability to remain in power relies on this, he keeps his population drunk, poor and oppressed. If you’ve ever been to Russia or talked with anyone who has spent time there the story is the same, small pockets of immense wealth surrounded by aged and poorly constructed infrastructure and an ignorant population that largely swallows the lies fed to them by the state and media because there isn’t a free press and what news media there is almost universally is state run and controlled.

   One of the major reasons for invading Ukraine was as a direct result of Euromaidan and the desire for the Ukrainians to move towards the west and embrace modernism and democracy while also rejecting the corrupt and toxic influence of Putin’s regime. Putin can’t have a neighbouring nation that is more successful and prosperous, especially if that is based on Ukraine embracing modern western culture.

   This war is as much an ideological one as it is about the benifits of controlling Ukraine’s resources. After all the complete destruction of Eastern Ukraine means Russia occupies destroyed land that will cost it dearly to repair, assuming it even bothers to do so. It can barely maintain and modernise itself let alone adding baron wasteland and flattened cities to Russia’s already heavily burdened and backwards country.

   Putin cares more about destroying Ukraine ability to be prosperous and wealthy then it is to steal their resources. His desire to stay in power is what predominantly motivates him and his desire to actually grow and build Russia is almost non existent. Putin has poisoned and bled out Russia, not improved and saved it.

   Putin lied to them, the communists lied to them, and so did the Tsar. Russia’s history is that of servitude, they see it as a strength that Russian life is not valued by their own. This is largely why negotiations and peace talks will go nowhere. Russia is so far down the totalitarian rabbit hole 1984 seems mild compared to their own history of being brutally ruled and controlled. And the average Russian is largely oblivious to this, which is why Russia can keep on chugging along with its botched invasion and can lie to themselves that everything is going to plan and that they are trying to save Ukraine.

   It may seem to be a strength that Russia can take severe losses and tank their economy yet still continue on, but the price is the future of Russia. A nation that has time and time again failed to build and prosper due to its own pig headishness, brutality and anti intellectualism that keeps it decades behind most other nations with similar wealth.

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