'..Russia's .. government .. is less interested in investing in the most modern equipment than in showing its support for the rebels in eastern Ukraine..'<blockquote>'Russia .. has to withdraw from Ukraine to gain relief from Western sanctions .. Russia's .. government .. is less interested in investing in the most modern equipment than in showing its support for the rebels in eastern Ukraine, even at the price of further economic hardship.
..
If Russia could not afford a 4%-of-GDP defense budget in good times, it cannot possibly manage such a high rate of military spending now, when it confronts rock-bottom oil prices, Western sanctions, and economic recession.'
- Sergei Guriev,
Russia's Indefensible Military Budget, May 14, 2015</blockquote>
'..Doing so requires targeting .. the cogs in the Kremlin's war machinery: the foreign suppliers, domestic factories and associated industries that help provide the critical components of the mechanized divisions, artillery and hardware that Russia will use if and when it again goes on the march..'<blockquote>'..if the West drives up the marginal costs of the Kremlin's war effort.
Doing so requires targeting .. the cogs in the Kremlin's war machinery: the foreign suppliers, domestic factories and associated industries that help provide the critical components of the mechanized divisions, artillery and hardware that Russia will use if and when it again goes on the march. The logic is simple. The more it costs Russia to build a tank or submarine, to fuel a long-range bomber, or to properly outfit a warfighter, the quicker it will end up depleting its savings. And once it does, Moscow will find its potential for aggression profoundly constrained.
In this way, Western nations can help change the terms of the debate surrounding Russia, from parsing the specifics of Putin's policies to actually limiting his ability to mobilize. That would be a sound investment indeed.'
- Ilan Berman,
The Economics Of Deterring Russia, May 22, 2015</blockquote>
'..some 80,000 protesters had filled central Moscow to rail against his inauguration. “They ruined my big day,” Putin was widely reported to have said. “Now I’m going to ruin their lives.” '<blockquote>'Russia’s latest brain drain began in earnest last year after it became clear that the grassroots opposition against Putin had failed to force political and social change. Some six months earlier, as Putin made his controversial return to the Kremlin, some 80,000 protesters had filled central Moscow to rail against his inauguration. “They ruined my big day,” Putin was widely reported to have said. “Now I’m going to ruin their lives.”
What followed next was a series of smear campaigns and Soviet-style show trials against his opponents, which left some protest leaders and their most vocal supporters under house arrest or behind bars. The crackdown dashed the hopes of many middle-class Russians who had wanted their country to part with its repressive legacy and move closer to Europe.
..
For Antipov, the Moscow businessman, it’s remarks like Milonov’s that have left him more determined than ever to leave for Europe. “I always knew what kind of a person Putin is,” he says. “But I didn’t think things would go this far. Nothing good is going to happen here for a long time.” '
-
Russia’s New Brain Drain -
A growing number of Russia’s best and brightest seem eager to leave their homeland. The reason: Putin, June 19, 2014</blockquote>
Context '..impose much harsher, much deeper sanctions..'<blockquote>
'..Russian troops are still on the territory of Ukraine..' - '..the annexation of Crimea.''..the biggest problem of Russian leadership is inability to admit mistakes..''..repression against the opposition .. suicidal strategy. Russia's history..' - Yegor GaidarSoviet Security Services Were Corrupt From the Start - By Paul Goble'..more sanctions should Russia fail..'Russia Update: Canada Denies Entry Visas to Russian Delegation to Proliferation Meeting, May 22, 2015</blockquote>