I didn’t mean that Russian (past) communism or (present) cronyism is self-sustaining - I think Putin plans on the collapse of all that, too. What I think he plans on “managing” is what its left, post-collapse, using KGB tactics and the military.
I think Putin sees the multinationals tearing down the planet and simply wants to survive it. So he uses what he has available - in his case, a country. I think he plans on using Russia like an ablative heat shield on a spacecraft that burns away during reentry. So for now he bloats the country’s territorial claims, simplifies the laws towards traditional culture, bulks the military, and stores food and gold. Most of it will burn away in the collapse, but to him, that’s what its for - to absorb the global economic blast. Then when its over, he’s left much smaller but with an army, and he goes from there.
Russians are a very pessimistic people - they love good times but don’t trust them at all. Putin is not “hoping for the best.” He’d find the very idea childish. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t plan on surviving. And part of that is prepping, while the other part is careful destabilization of other countries so they fall in a favorable way - like a lumberjack feeling a tree where he wants it to fall by undermining its support in specific directions.