Anders Aslund pulls no punches in this Op-ed from The Moscow TImes: “In one month, Putin has managed to squander the diplomatic achievements of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Boris Yeltsin and turn Russia into an international pariah similar to Iran, Belarus or Venezuela….”
This is worrying though, if one thinks through the logical implications: “An overlooked fact is that 40 percent of Ukraine’s exports to Russia consist of machinery and armaments. Motor Sich in Zaporozhe produces all of Russia’s helicopter engines, Yuzhmash in Dnipropetrovsk manufactures carrier rockets and missiles and Antonov makes planes in Kiev. The Russian military-industrial complex will be in great trouble without these imports. ”
Worth reading the entireĀ piece: