The linked article hypothesizes “a rump Russia reduced to the area bounded by St. Petersburg, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.” Even given the country’s struggles, I have a hard time imagining large chunks of Russia breaking away. My question is whether there is evidence to believe that kind of split has become a real possibility. Neither Putin nor his successor would allow it without a serious fight given the immense value of the natural resources and sea ports Russia would lose.
The linked article hypothesizes “a rump Russia reduced to the area bounded by St. Petersburg, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.” Even given the country’s struggles, I have a hard time imagining large chunks of Russia breaking away. My question is whether there is evidence to believe that kind of split has become a real possibility. Neither Putin nor his successor would allow it without a serious fight given the immense value of the natural resources and sea ports Russia would lose.