I have already argued at length that Russia, being the most sanctioned and economically undermined and terrorized country on earth, via embargoes and outright industrial sabotage like the Nordstream attacks, may be underachieving—for now—while hiding a far more powerful economy than current records imply. If you take away those artificial handicaps unfairly gimping Russia’s economy, then it is almost certain that Russia’s true unmeasured economic might is that of 3rd place behind China and the U.S. It’s remarkable that even under unparalleled attack, Russia is able to command one of the fastest growing and most robust economies in the world.

Oh boo hoo. Maybe Russia should consider ending their war of aggression so the world can see how powerful their economy actually is.

Maria Andreeva, a key face of the movement, has emphasized that she supports the guiding logic of the full-scale invasion, but is protesting the Russian government’s treatment of its soldiers and the inability of mobilized men to be rotated out of the front line.

She also has repeated Russian propaganda about the Bucha massacre, in which hundreds of Ukrainian civilians were killed by Russian soldiers, saying that it had been “staged” by the West.

Disappointing yet unsurprising.