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Putin’s Polycrisis

Sergei Guriev
8 October 2025clock4 Minute Read
A man shows a protest placard as he queues with other voters near the polling station at the Russian embassy in Berlin, March 17, 2024.

Showing opposition: A man shows a protest placard as he queues with other voters near the polling station at the Russian embassy in Berlin, March 17, 2024. Image: Associated Press / Alamy Stock

Despite mounting economic and demographic pressures, Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue to feed the war machine so long as he gains ground in Ukraine. To change his calculus, Western leaders must strengthen sanctions against the Kremlin, provide advanced weapons to Ukraine, and incentivise Russian brain drain.

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Sergei Guriev

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