[JimBlackwood]

I think the same every time I read this, but at one point it has to give, right?

Nothing is going well and economically the population is feeling it. I imagine this can’t go on much longer.

[chistev]

>I think the same every time I read this, but at one point it has to give, right?

If you repeat this same news every time, then you'll eventually be right, yes.

[matusp]

Oil is up by 100% in recent weeks. It might have to give, but probably not with these prices.

[tmikaeld]

Their oil terminals are getting blown up at a faster pace than oil prices are increasing.

[Simulacra]

I don't think so. An oligarchy can hold on for generations, look at North Korea.

[nutjob2]

The Soviet Union, which was much worse, went on for a very long time. But it fell under similar circumstances, essentially bankrupted by a war in Afghanistan.

It's not so much when the population feels it, rather the elites who prop Putin up.

[andrewinardeer]

Are you talking about Russia or USA?

[whoisrosh]

"A man who promises it'll rain will eventually be correct"

[torben-friis]

Anecdotally, the people I know who recently visited Moscow and St Petersburg claim they're not seeing significant struggle, and definitely not the 'risk your life for violent revolution' type of issues.

[victorbjorklund]

Because they are rich people who are in the rich parts of the richest cities. I’m sure if you walked the streets of Moscow in 1988 you wouldn’t see any significant struggle among the elite.

[pandaman]

I am sure you have not walked the streets of Moscow in 1988. As someone who had, I can assure you, it was not very pretty.

[victorbjorklund]

Was the Russian party elite starving or not in 1988?

[pandaman]

I am not sure what is "the Russian party elite". Regardless, how is this related to what people would see walking the streets in Moscow? (lines to the stores, people selling their belongings or random shit they have got in lieu of salary at work, delipidated buildings, literal open dirt everywhere etc).

[victorbjorklund]

You do not know what the party elite of the communist party was in the Soviet Union?

[armada651]

Moscow and St Petersburg will be the absolute last places where you will see people struggle precisely because Putin knows it's important to keep those cities prosperous even if it's at the cost of people living outside of the major cities.

[enoint]

The enlistment bonuses tell that story: from St Petersburg, you get 10x the bonus compared to Dagestan.

[torben-friis]

Sure, but that's already 20% of population counting metro area. Add other well off areas, university towns, upper class in small towns, etc. and it doesn't seem to be looking super bad in the short term for them.