Vladimir Putin would have you believe that the Russian military and economy are as strong as ever after four years of a “special military operation” in Ukraine that he originally predicted would be over in no more than a couple of weeks.

But, as his war machine now enters its fifth year of devastating human loss, excruciating economic sanctions, and minimal military success, the obvious truth is that Russia’s economy is struggling.

And so are its citizens.

Four years of government spending on weaponry, ammunition, supplies, and overly generous bonuses paid to entice young men and women to risk their lives in battle, have led to huge increases in taxes and interest rates to cover the costs . . . and inevitably to rampant inflation.

Vera, a 63-year-old retiree in the central Russian city of Ufa, complains that a staple of the Russian diet — cucumbers — now cost the equivalent of $5 per kilo (2.2 pounds). On a monthly pension of $323, she has had to find part-time work in order to survive. [Mike Eckel, RFE/RL, February 12, 2026.]

She doesn’t exaggerate. Official data show that cucumber prices have increased by 43% since the first of the year, with tomato prices up 21% and climbing.

And it’s not only food that is becoming unaffordable. Aleksei, an employed 55-year-old homeowner in a suburb of Ufa, said:

“Money is becoming increasingly scarce. Utility bills are skyrocketing. They’re constantly being recalculated, and not in the consumer’s favor. Food has also become very expensive, and we have to look for substitutes.” [Id.]

According to the semi-independent newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, “Rising prices and impoverishment of the population is the main problem” among educated Russians. [Id.]

And Estonian military intelligence concluded in its annual threat assessment report that “Russia is facing increasingly severe economic challenges and is neglecting almost all nonmilitary sectors as the war in Ukraine drags on. As a result, the risk of economic and social instability is set to rise in 2026.” [Id.]

All of which lands Putin between a very large rock and a hard place. He needs to win this war in order to maintain his authority as the all-powerful leader of a still-powerful country. But he also needs to retain the trust and loyalty of the Russian populace if he hopes to avoid a popular revolt.

*. *. *

What is so striking about the situation facing the average Russian consumer is that it mirrors what the vast middle- and lower-income classes of Americans are also experiencing.

We are not officially at war. But the waste, inefficiency, and blatant corruption that have become endemic in the current administration are causing the same sort of financial problems for the average American as those facing Vera and Aleksei in Ufa.

The government decided that last year’s cost of living had increased by a meager 2.8%. And on that basis, those of us relying on the Social Security savings we have paid into for our entire working lives received exactly that much of an increase for 2026. But from that, the government took back a portion to cover an increase in Medicare premiums, so we were already behind before we even got started. And in truth, prices of everything from food to fuel rose far more than the administration is willing to admit.

Last month, for example — when Donald Trump has been promising for a year that prescription prices would be decreasing by an impossible 500% or more — the premiums for my prescription insurance coverage doubled, from $52 to $100 per month. I can’t wait to see what will happen to my Medicare supplemental insurance on its anniversary date.

And don’t even get me started on the prices of necessities like toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, laundry detergent, etc., etc., etc. While I am still able to afford cucumbers, I can foresee a time when we will all have to choose between giving up that salad with dinner, or gathering leaves from the trees in the front yard to use in the bathroom.

So yes, I feel the pain of the good Russian people who didn’t ask for this war, who bear no grudge against their Ukrainian neighbors, and who want nothing more than to live in peace and relative comfort. Like them, we have become victims of vicious, corrupt authoritarians and oligarchs who care nothing for the people whose labor actually makes their luxurious lifestyle possible.

But those corrupt leaders and their minions might do well to remember that, while they have the money, we have the numbers . . . and the vote.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/13/26