Putin has made out pretty well with the sanctions scenario- no covering that-up. His strength of course is oil- but that is also his Archille's heel. He is selling more to asia but at deep discount and as this article points out, the Chinese economy is looking flaccid these days and if the demand drops, deep discounts on lower priced oil will not be pretty for Putin. Not a given that that will happen but some of the headline knews about China these days might make him think about it. Also- as overdiscussed- the part of his economy that allows him to be technologically modern in any way and competitive long term is already complete shiite. No covering that up either. 'Slower burn.' Russia dodges economic collapse but the decline has started https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/28/business/russia-economy-ukraine-six-months/index.html
Comrade, you ain't getting a Dell. Dell Says It Ceased All Operations In Russia https://www.crn.com/dell-says-it-ceased-all-operations-in-russia
As I pointed out before - even Russian railroad cars are falling apart: The NTK (National Transportation Company) is reporting that more and more railroad cars are sidelined because of lack of bearings. Russians cannot produce nearly enough, and imports have stopped. Not microchips. Bearings - Russians cannot produce.
Let's here from someone inside Russia about the changes... Video mainly covers retail / product shortages & alterations. Propaganda drives me crazy // How environment in Russia changed in the last months
I have seen that chick's videos before, even before the war. Her English is good and she is pro-Russia and pro-Russian people but not the state. She is from Vladivostok which Sarah Palin can see from her house.
She does a good job of presenting the reality on the "street" while staying away from focusing on politicians & military. She carefully crafts her words -- for example using "special military operation" and not using "war" to avoid getting in trouble with the authorities. Still in my opinion she skating on the edge in view how oppressive the crackdown has been in Russia over the past few months. Even creating videos in English can be considered subversive now in Russia.