Russian Elections 2024

[BritDownUnder]

Russia is a very large country with a low population density just like Australia is and is getting rich on the natural resources.

Being surrounded by poorer highly populated countries (actually I think China still has a higher GPD per capita) that want the wealth they need a big army and nukes to survive.

However I am not sure spending all their oil wealth on a war makes sense. Also they produce about the same oil as Saudi but have 3x the population and use more themselves. From what I can see very little wealth has made it the ordinary Russian. Russia has a bad Gini coefficient that measures wealth inequality. Also very little spent on infrastructure.

For instance Australia has a reasonable GDP per capita but not the best but you go to Singapore 1.5x GDP/capita of Australia and the wages are half because all the wealth is in institutions/banks etc. Also Australia has the fifth highest pensions savings in the world 3x the Norway sovereign wealth fund but is 20th in terms of population. Australia also has the second highest median household wealth in the world so a good Gini coefficient.

[mr brightside]

Steve Rosenberg was on the BBC news last night interviewing Putin cronies at a gathering of some sort, the walls were gilded and everyone looked warm and healthy so it can't have been at a pensioner's residence. Some woman from the media was very forthright about how they didn't like us (the west), to the point of actually shouting it in Rosenberg's face. It was actually totally flipping hilarious.

[Mark]

Some woman from the media was very forthright about how they didn't like us (the west), to the point of actually shouting it in Rosenberg's face. It was actually totally flipping hilarious.

Putin obviously has a level of support and controls all the media outlets which greatly helps his cause...
There are obviously also those that oppose, but it's getting very hard to speak out with all the 'unexpected deaths' and lock-ups...
So..., it's difficult to judge the real level of support for Putin from the ordinary Russian (I don't put any weight on a rigged election)

The many thousands of body bags returning from the front can't have helped his popularity...
Every one is somebody's son, brother, father, lover, cousin, nephew...