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

It spends a much larger fraction of its GDP on its military than Canada or Italy. The latter are rather peaceful western countries having defense treaties with the world’s most expensive military, the USA.