Let me get this right.
The russian economy is collapsing big time, and with a shortage of oil it's ability to produce "stuff" is diminishing, yet it has been increasing its drone attacks on Ukraine, and can built extra missiles for Iran.....
It's all borrowed money. And, NK is supplying many parts and even labour.
2026 Figures: The Central Bank of Russia sold approximately 44 tonnes of gold in the first half of 2026. [Kitco]
Russia’s national government debt reached approximately $444.2 billion USD (or about 33.15 trillion rubles in public domestic debt) as of mid-2026, which translates to roughly 18% to 20% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). [Trading Economics]
Estimated time to permanently restore oil related infrastructure is 10 years
Grain exports down by 84%.
Personnel losses now exceed 1.5m.
Logistics trucks being taken out at a rate of 700 per month and October estimate is 800+.
There is a strict export ban on diesel.
Russia's seaborne imports of gasoline surged to record highs of ~125kbd this August, equivalent to a projected total of 470kt for the full month.
Ukraine war briefing: Russia running on imported gasoline, government confirms https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/20/ukraine-war-briefing-russia-running-on-imported-gasoline-government-confirms
Russia’s Finance Ministry failed to sell government bonds at an auction on Wednesday, its first unsuccessful placement since July, as plans for heavier borrowing and higher military spending weighed on the debt market. [Moscow Times]
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026...nds-as-borrowing-plans-weigh-on-market-a93834
This ^ is not a picture of a healthy economy nor does it point to long term sustainability.
Putin refuses point blank to veer from his course so what is going to change in terms of Russian economic stability in the near future?
If the Ukrainian plan is to now target not only more oil infrastructure but more data centres, this action just adds even more pressure on the Russian economy (see my previous post). What is the actual state of Russia when people are queueing for sometimes days for fuel in the country labelled the 'gas station of the world'?
On a positive note, Ukraine has successfully trialled a few versions of jet propelled drone interceptor and we hope that one of them will go into full scale production soon.
This would be a game changer.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that one of the leading interceptor designs—reportedly derived from Ukraine's
Bars missile-drone—is already moving toward mass production, with roughly
400 units expected to be produced by the end of October. [Liga.net}