So apparently hour long presentations on defence investment weren’t dry enough, so I’m dusting off the Economics degree (strongly recommended when pairing with military or strategic studies) to ask the question of what the economic situation may be if this war drags on. Some are insisting sanctions are achieving nothing, and that Russia is well placed to outlast Ukraine. Others are convinced that Russia’s war will grind to a halt under the weight of these sanctions. In this video, I look at some of the tactics Russia has been using to minimise the impact of sanctions, as well as the basic economic disparities between Russia and the Western powers backing Ukraine. Suffice to say, Russia is economically outmatched, but it has a variety of tools and strengths to leverage, including energy exports and a defence sector that has spent years moving towards self-reliance.