but it's worth it because there are certainly something that is bigger than you as an individual.
Only God is bigger than the individual. Anyone thinking otherwise is just manipulated by those profiteering from their sacrifices.
Imagine all the richness of Ukraine, their agricultural fields, their oil, their mines etc, all work hand in hand so that Russians could have a better quality of life.
So I find it funny that Western journalists kept mentioning Russia's inflated casualties as if it end with that. Have they ever sit and think for a moment that the reported 700K casualties that Putin invested now pay dividend with Russia getting larger with the almost complete control of the Donbass, where the main heavy industry of Ukraine is located. Has they ever for once try to think? Anyone?
Since you think Putin is such a great strategist with a long term perspective that will help Russia flourish and become more powerful, I decided to make a comparison between Putin’s Russia and the European Union to see which has a better long term strategy.
My starting point is the year 2000 when Putin became the leader of the Russian Federation. Let’s see how Putin’s Russia fared compared to the EU in the 24 years of Putin’s “strategic” reign.
1. GDP
In 2000 Russia’s GDP was 259 billion dollars. In 2022 it was 2,240 billion dollars.
in 2000 the EU’s GDP was 7,276 billion dollars. In 2022 it was 16,641 billion dollars.
When it comes to GDP growth, Russia far exceeded the EU, but that was not hard to achieve considering the very low starting point. But what matters more when it comes to global geopolitical power is the total value, as this is what allows you to project power. Russia grew its economy by 2 trillion dollars, compared to a growth of 9.5 trillion dollars for the EU.
So on a relative basis Russia grew faster than the EU, but the total economic power added by the EU is almost 5 times higher than Russia’s.
2. Population
In 2000, Russia’s population was 146 million. The current population is 144 million, so Russia lost 2 million people during Putin’s reign (Not a good sign for an imperialistic power, so maybe this is why he wants to conquer Ukraine to increase his population pool).
In 2000, the EU’s population was 377 million (15 member countries) and now it is 448 million (27 member countries). That is an increase of 71 million people, or half of Russia’s population (It seams that the peaceful expansion of the EU is a great way to increase its total population).
So when it comes to population increase, the EU is a clear winner.
3. Territory
Russia is huge with 17.1 million square km. Out of this territory, only a very small fraction is represented by the territories annexed during Putin’s reign. While Russia gained some territory since Putin came to power, they are not internationally recongnized and some of them are under war.
The EU was 3.3 million square km in 2000. Now it has 4.2 million square km, so it managed to grow by almost a third, and all its new territories are internationally recognized and at peace.
So overalll, the EU‘s peaceful method of expansion has yielded more territory and more people than Putin’s warmongering.
4. Future prospects
Since 2022 Russia is involved in a war that is claiming many lives and resources, while also becoming an international pariah state under heavy sanctions and with a negative migration flow. The population is poised to decline unless it manages to annex vast swathes of land and the population that comes with it. Putin’s only chance to increase his empire is by conquering lands, but his efforts in Ukraine have yielded negative results in the last year and a half.
On the other hand, the EU has a strong pipeline of countries waiting to join. Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia are almost certain to join in the future (also Kosovo will most likely join).
Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are also potential future members, and there is also the distant possibility of Turkey joining (but that is not in the cards in the near future).
So the EU has a good expansion pipeline which will come without any war, while Russia needs to engage in war to secure new lands at huge cost.
Judging by past results, I would say that the EU’s total power has grown much more in the last 24 years than that of Russia. Putin seems to be losing the geopolitical game and has gone on tilt by invading Ukraine.
The likes of Barroso, Junker and Von der Leyen seem to be better at geopolitics than Putin.
announced a new military aid package for Ukraine totaling $75 million usd in value. The package consists of the following:
