Russia, a country that (...) has an economy the size of Italy
Not engaging in the rest of this debate, but this is misleading. If you just look at GDP, that's true, but if you look at GDP PPP (purchasing power parity), it's the §th economy of the world, right after Germany.
PPP means that you don't just translate roebels into dollars, but that you check what you can actually buy with it.
Not engaging in the rest of this debate, but this is misleading. If you just look at GDP, that's true, but if you look at GDP PPP (purchasing power parity), it's the §th economy of the world, right after Germany. PPP means that you don't just translate roebels into dollars, but that you check what you can actually buy with it.