[xtian]

Russia produces more container ships by tonnage than the US with a fraction of the population, to pick just one example of many. Before SpaceX, the US was dependent on them for rides to the ISS. They produce some of the most formidable and battle-tested military-technical systems in the world. How exactly is that a failed state? Seems like you want other people to make the same decision you did since maybe you’re unsure that it was the correct choice.

[pavel_lishin]

Two out of the three of those are heavily military-based, and thanks to the cold war, the US and Russia have been heavily investing in the military for over half a century. So maybe that's not a fair comparison to make.

Besides manufacturing capability, I think determining whether something is a "failed state" or not, you need to look at other things, focusing more on social details. Is the government truly democratic? Is the law applied more-or-less fairly and equally? Is the press free, and are people able to discuss things without fear?

Aside from manufacturing exports, how is the internal economy - are people able to afford the basics, and things that might be considered luxuries? How's education, how's the ability to travel both internally and externally, how's economic and social mobility?

I don't think container-ship-tonnage is a great metric of whether something is a failed state or not.

[WhatsTheBigIdea]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failed_state

https://www.britannica.com/topic/failed-state

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/failed-state

Russia does not appear to qualify as a failed state by the definition published in any of these three sources.

[cat_plus_plus]

Stalin managed to kill more Russians and Ukranians than Germany did during both world wars combined. Putin is turning the country into a geriatric corpse because young people who have other options leave and those who can't get killed in the war or don't want to bring children into this kind of future. A functioning state has to at least keep it's residents from getting mass murdered or facing such a bleak future that they die out voluntarily.