How Putin is reshaping Russia to keep his war-machine running
He is creating a class of wealthy bureaucrats, who are the war’s biggest supporters
WAR AND sanctions notwithstanding, in early November, the renovated Soviet-era “Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy” re-opened in Moscow. The original, inaugurated in 1939 just weeks before Germany and Russia invaded Poland, papered over the famine and terror of the preceding years. Instead, displays extolled the wonders of Soviet science and the virtues of collectivisation; a special ice-cream hall doled out treats to the masses and a 25-metre statue of Stalin gazed down munificently. Millions died in the dictator’s “great break” with the past, and Russia’s economy and society were completely reshaped, but it was all depicted as unadulterated progress.
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This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “For the fatherland”
Briefing December 2nd 2023
From the December 2nd 2023 edition
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Syria has exchanged a vile dictator for an uncertain future
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Technology and legal changes are spurring a betting bonanza
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The allegations against the corporate champion may end up being resolved diplomatically rather than in court
The war in Ukraine is straining Russia’s economy and society
Despite advances on the battlefield, pressure is growing
How will Donald Trump handle the war in Ukraine?
And how will Ukraine, Russia and Europe respond?