eli5 – Russia has an economy smaller than Canada or Italy. How does it continue to be a threatening, great power without going bankrupt?

Question

eli5 – Russia has an economy smaller than Canada or Italy. How does it continue to be a threatening, great power without going bankrupt?

In: 808

Answer 1

If you get a chance, read the book “Prisoners of Geography” by Tim Marshall.

Basically Russia has a lot of borders with a lot of countries, isn’t very well protected by natural geography (like mountains), and until Crimea had no ports with year round ocean access.