Russia’s domestic economy is increasingly reliant on war in Ukraine

Russia’s industrial heartland is seeing an economic renaissance as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Shops, restaurants, and gym chains are opening up throughout the country’s rust belt alongside a hike in military production and new wealth stemming from heavy army recruitment: Russia gives large bonuses to conscripts, and their families get payouts if they die.

“Almost all women get manicures now,” one resident of a small Russian city told the Financial Times. “We even got a private dog grooming service in our town, now that’s a real indicator.”

Russia’s shift to a wartime footing in the face of Western sanctions has made the country’s economy so dependent on military spending that peace could have disastrous ramifications, The Wall Street Journal wrote.