Russia indeed has a small economy if converted into dollars, but not if the intermal price of goods and services is considered. This is because the conversion only works for economies that are well connected and comparable.
This is doubly true for military matters which are very illiquid, and even more so given the sanctions Russia is facing. The measure you are looking for is called purchasing power parity adjustment, or “GDP (PPP)” for short. It is hard to compile though.
No need for “hmm”, just readily available knowledge in economics.
ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com 4 days ago
I’m sorry, notaglobalsuperpower says what? Because until Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia had convinced most of the world, including itself, that it was a near-peer to the US like China. Most people in the west and elsewhere, myself and putin included, expected Russia to completely steamroll over Ukraine in a matter of days to weeks.
… But then we got to watch as they paradropped elite troops into the middle cities, forgot that tanks needed infantry support, experienced logistical failures a mile from the border, started depleting stockpiles that were supposedly much deeper, and began conscripting undesirables for a meatgrinder …
Russia is big and has a lot of nukes, people, and equipment: but it’s no soviet union. If the new narrative is that the third largest power on the planet is equal to Italy and that somehow makes you feel better: be my guest.
huf@hexbear.net 4 days ago
this wasnt my narrative, it was a thing everyone kept saying when the war started.