[fritigern]

Russia has around 140 million people, is a one of the major exporters of oil, natural gas, wheat and fertilizer.

Thats why things like this are happening: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/russia-becomes-indias-se...

[trasz]

Nigeria has even more. But it doesn’t make them a superpower that could just shrug off the sanctions.

[fritigern]

Russia just did.

[trasz]

Not really :-D Russia did have _some_ economy before the sanctions; now all they are left with is gas. Even China doesn't want to cooperate.

[simonblack]

now all they are left with is gas

And wheat, and titanium, and neon, and rocket engines, and metallurgy, and hypersonic technology, and .....

[trasz]

Wheat, true. It’s questionable if they can still do much in titanium. Neon is mostly Ukraine, Russian rocket engines are pretty much done (they spent everything they inherited from USSR), and hypersonic appear to be a scam.

Here is what they can’t manufacture: electronics. Or planes, or tanks, or even ordinary cars.

[fritigern]

> Here is what they can’t manufacture: electronics. Or planes, or tanks, or even ordinary cars.

They'll just buy it from China. Like everyone else does.