Advantage Moscow: 'Fortress Russia' hasn't turned into 'rubble Russia'

Russia will pay a long-term price, of course, but it has weathered Western sanctions. Its current position isn't what Western powers would have predicted in February 2022, writes T N Ninan

Russia’s attack on Ukraine looks increasingly like achieving lasting if partial success, as Ukraine’s hopes of reclaiming all the territory lost in 2022 (forget that lost in 2014) fade with each passing month. With continued military aid to Kyiv from the United States and the European Union blocked, the best that Ukraine can hope for is a military stalemate. At worst, Russia might encroach on yet more territory. Economic reconstruction in Ukraine will remain a mighty task, needing massive sums of foreign aid that may or may not be forthcoming to the extent required.

What about the cost of its