[mc32]

I don't know. Some of those countries have minimal natural resources and small fractions of the pop of Russia yet, they enjoy relatively disproportionate economic success.

Maybe you have a point, but it's not the whole point. I think they wear a heavy shackle of ancient culture. One which has acclimatized them over centuries to a serf-state mindset they have not broken out of. It's very patriarchal (or statist). The state is their master in more ways than one. It'll take a cultural shift in the newer generations to shake it and allow them to achieve their potential.