"Ukraine could win the war if it had an additional $50 billion per year, as well as a green light to bomb military targets inside Russia."

Russia's central bank said inflation was rising as the nation's economy slowed. Those are key ingredients for stagflation.

The Russian government wants to earmark 32.5% of its spending next year for defense, a record amount and up from a reported 28.3% this year, as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine

The Kremlin plans a 25 percent increase to more than $145 billion in 2025, a year in which it had intended to cut military spending.

War may be the only thing keeping Russia's economy afloat. According to Jay Zagorsky, an economist and markets professor at Boston University's Questrom School of Business, the Ukraine invasion is likely the only thing preventing the country from slipping into a recession.

Russian officials say more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down, sparking a wildfire and setting an apartment block alight in one of the largest barrages over Russian skies

Note: This op-ed was written to contribute to a National Interest symposium on the challenges Russia's military will face after the Ukraine war ends. Russia’s war against Ukraine has exposed significant flaws in the design and execution of its military operations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently blamed Western elites for provoking the Russia-Ukraine war, alleging that they prepared Ukraine’s military for conflict even before the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday vowed that Moscow would achieve all the goals it has set for itself in the ongoing war against Ukraine. "The truth is on our side. All goals set will be achieved,