Russia's Ukraine 'Victory': NATO Expansion, 1.2 Million Casualties and a Battered Economy
19FortyFive • • world
Key Points:
- As Russia's war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, Moscow's territorial gains come at immense costs, including an estimated 1.2 million casualties and an annual €250 billion military expenditure that strains civilian infrastructure and the economy.
- Despite adapting its economy to sustain prolonged conflict, Russia faces significant structural stresses like slowing industrial growth, technological constraints from sanctions, and a growing labor deficit due to high military casualties.
- The invasion has backfired strategically by triggering NATO expansion with Finland and Sweden joining the alliance, thereby exposing Russia’s northern flank and intensifying a costly high-tech arms race Russia's economy struggles to sustain.
- Russia's massive military losses have degraded its conventional power and ability to project force, while the war’s economic impact—marked by
