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Yeah actually Bob, I do.

Let’s do the arithmetic.

17691 m^2 = 190424 ft^2

Construction worker wages in Sochi are at most $600/mo. Probably less, Moscow engineers make about $1500/mo - at least the ones that I know. At 160 hours / mo, that’s a munificent $3.75 hr. Bout right for that part of “Russia”. Close enough.

So let’s assume that it takes 5 guys labor for each square foot times 5 hours. Scale by 1.25 for materials. So cost / ft^2 ~ 5 * 5 * $3.75 = $93.75 (really conservative. US rates outside of California are maybe twice that. Reality is that Russia is like 10 times cheaper, especially down on the Black Sea).

But whatever. Let’s get the final number.

190424 ft^2 * $93.75 = $17,852,250

That’s 18 lousy million. And I’m grossly over conservative on the cost / sq. ft. for that area.

So the number is only 3 orders of magnitude off.

Wanna prove me wrong? Go right ahead.

I have watched buildings in Russia get built for pennies on the dollar using Asian labor (they’re the Mexicans of Russia. Why do you think Lenin wanted all the ‘stans?). They’re mostly crap but they stand up for a few decades.

Putin’s a Varangian looting the country without a doubt. In a feudal system like his, you pay tribute to the Big Guy. He wouldn’t BE the Big Guy if he didn’t. But this stupid story is being pushed by innumerate morons.

You wouldn’t be one them, wouldja Bob?