But by destroying 1 in 250 of the Russian male population while behind the front lines his economy has withered to nothingness, Putin has killed rather than save Mother Russia.
Another principle of Soviet doctrine is that the purpose of the economy is to support imperial conquest. Soviet peacetime military expenditure was a terrible burden on the economy, and in wartime, the peasants would just have to find something to eat on their own.
Also, I have little trust in any casualty numbers I’ve seen. Both nations have long been showing signs of severe strain. But I have to figure that essentially everything Russia says is a lie, most of the things Ukraine says are lies, most of what the Biden administration says are lies, and most of what the institutional press says are lies. I find it hard to get any sort of solid information. What do you have to back up the 1/250 number? I tend to place some faith in reports of where fighting is taking place, but very little faith in reports of how it’s going. I would be grateful if you can point me toward something solid.