This has a significant impact on Russia’s military and its position in the world, suggesting a bleak outlook for its future. The fact that Russia inherited a massive military with no financial means to support it after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and then relied heavily on the US for financial assistance, only to eventually develop their military further in the 2000s, is a testament to their historical struggles.

However, things are not looking good for Russia in the near future. Their decreasing economic growth is resulting in decreasing military spending, and their stalled population growth is soon to be shrinking. Meanwhile, China is rising, and their arms exports are taking a hit due to India’s increasing self-sufficiency in defense production and China’s expansion into the market.

Russia’s defense industry, which was once a mainstay of their military, is also struggling to adapt to the changing market, with only a 25% decline in exports in the last five years. To make matters worse, they are merging their two main aircraft manufacturers, Sukhoi and Mikoyan, to reduce costs, but this may result in a loss of variety and numbers of aircraft they can produce. With the high maintenance costs of their new ships and aircraft, Russia’s decreasing budget is in danger of being squeezed even further. While they may not be fully irrelevant, they are unlikely to be a global superpower, and their focus may shift from the Pacific to Europe and the Middle East. However, only time will tell if Russia can turn things around.