Part 13/13:
While Putin continues to project strength—both to his domestic base and internationally—the underlying economic signals suggest that the country’s stability is under threat from within. The combination of financial strain on regional governments, the inability to recruit new soldiers affordably, and everyday hardships faced by ordinary Russians paints a grim picture of a nation teetering on the edge of deeper economic and political instability.
Only time will tell whether Russia can weather this storm or if its current fiscal and military woes will precipitate a more profound crisis in the months ahead.