War Economy, War Society – How Strong Is Putin Really?

Policy papers by Neil Barnett and Vladimir Milov

While Russia’s full scale invasion has failed to produce anything like a Russian victory over Ukraine, Ukraine itself is struggling to liberate the occupied territories and may face serious setbacks in the near future. Meanwhile, Putin has managed to change Russia’s economy and society to a remarkable extent. But what does this really mean for Russia’s political and military strength? How far can Putin go in militarizing Russia? What are the weaknesses of his approach?