Expert says Russia’s economy is a trash can fire, but Kremlin still clings to hopes of victory in Ukraine: Despite the sanctions imposed on Russia, following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February, the ruble has actually recovered – hitting 52.3 to the dollar on Wednesdayan augmentation of about 1.3 percent the previous day and the highest level since May 2015. In fact, the ruble has become so strong that Russia’s central bank has taken steps to weaken it over fears it will make its exports less competitive.

It was only last week that the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, said that his country’s economy would overcome “reckless and senseless” sanctions and that efforts to harm the Russian economy ” didn’t work”.

“Russian companies and government authorities worked calmly and professionally,” Putin said. during his speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “We are normalizing the economic situation. We have stabilized the financial markets, the banking system, the trading system.

However, Russia’s projected annual inflation rate remains at 16.7%, and the war in Ukraine will not improve the situation – certainly not in the short term.

The Russian economy has serious problems

“The Russian economy is a huge dumpster fire. The sanctions will compound the problems they already had in their economy. The Russians have no more babies and their life expectancy is terrible. Harry Kazianispresident of the Rogue States Project, Fox Business’ Neil Cavuto told Wednesday.

“In the long term, Russia is a declining power,” Kazianis continued. “In the short to medium term, it looks okay, but in the long term, it’s bad.”

Russia’s birth rate has greatly diminished for decades. The country, which suffered massive casualties during World War II, has the lowest overall male-to-female ratio in the world, and this is especially true among the elderly. The latest war in Ukraine will certainly not “fix” this pyramid and could have an impact on the number of births and the rate of population growth in Russia.

The fact that the war in Ukraine has virtually no end in sight will only worsen Russia’s economic situation. Ukrainian officials have argued that the war will not end until the last Russian is driven from its soil, but even with Western help it is a noble goal.

Yet Russia has also been forced to scale back its targets.

How the war in Ukraine could end

When asked how the war ended, Kazianis was blunt, suggesting that neither side may agree on an end to the conflict, and described it as a “sort of end Korean War”, adding that there could be “a kind of armistice”.

Putin’s forces will focus on the Donbass region, as taking the whole of Ukraine is now considered impossible.

“If he tried to do that, it could be the end of his diet,” Kazianis explained. “He will overtake Donbass, try to take that part of the country and basically declare the end of the war or his special military operation is over, and then dare the Ukrainians to continue fighting.”

Ukrainians could be forced to accept this settlement.

“One that they may have to recognize de facto, and that means Vladimir Putin conquers the industrial heartland of Ukraine, and that will be a very sad ending,” Kazianis continued. “It doesn’t matter how many weapons we give to Ukrainians and how much money we give to Ukrainians.”

In other words, it will be a war that both sides could lose. Ukraine will be forced to cede territory; while instead of restoring the “glory” of the former Soviet Union, the conflict will simply show the world that Russia is a nation slowly losing its relevance on the world stage. It is a war that has destroyed much of Ukraineand which will leave the Russian economy in tatters.

Today’s editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites. He writes regularly on military hardware, the history of firearms, cybersecurity and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing author for Forbes.