Thread by @spartyflyboy

Principles of russian (war) economy.
a thread about russionomics.🧵

Recently there is rising discussion about #russia's ability to sustain the #Ukraine war. The great #Perun on YT comes to mind. Yet many observers overlook the specific russian economic model, russionomics. 1/n

1/ Material goods.
- A material good is something you or your mates can steal.
- It needs a means of production or storage to steal from.
- If a good is in short supply steal the rest.
- The function of the army is to provide lots of material goods to steal easily.
2/n

2/ Intangible assets
- An intangible asset can be stolen remotely.
- Nobody cares if it is stolen until some burly gopniks ring at your door
- Favours are immaterial goods obtainable by means of a bribe
- Justice, public sector and army operate as system of favours and bribes
3/n

3/ Immobile assets
- Immobile assets can be bought but are commonly obtained via bribe.
- Get immobile assets as they are harder to steal.
- The size of your immobile asset shows how much you steal and creates status.
- Yachts are mobile immobile assets.
- Never outdo Prez.
4/n

4/ Surplus value
- When you steal it it has value
- When you can bribe with it, it has value
- Selling is an attempt to steal as much money from the customer (gopnik) as possible.
- Stealing from the army creates private value.
- Sale of stolen goods maximizes surplus value
5/n

5/ Public Sector
- State steals from everyone inc other countries & people
- Everyone steals from the state
- You may also use bribes to steal from the state
- The more you steal the more important you become
- Your superior assigns you fiefdom to extort
- Prez gets 50% share
6/n

6/ Armed forces
- Army is a public sector entity with loads of material goods and heaps of mates to bribe
- The army hence educates in stealing and bribery
- Generals steal everything
- Senior ranks steal from conscripts/stocks
- Conscripts may bribe to get stolen stuff back
7/n

7/ Defense industry
- Provides army with stuff to steal
- Ideally produces fake goods or deliveries to ease stealing for senior officers and maximise surplus value
- Procurement▶️Bribing▶️Stealing
- Industries are fiefdoms to extort
- Converts material assets into immobile
8/n

8/ Storage
- Storage are things intended to be stolen
- Deliveries to and inventory of storage may be faked to ease stealing by officials
- Army has many warehouses to steal from
- Storage employees may be bribed
- Stealing minimizes storage costs increasing efficiency
9/n

9/ Currency
- Money is either Dollar or Euro
- Ruble means the state steals from you
- In cities you can buy things that other people stole, the state often forces you to use rubles for that.
- Money helps paying bribes, only poor people bribe in rubles.
- Store Money in EU
10/n

10/ Hydrocarbons
- Gas and oil have strategic importance and are lifeblood of russian economic cycle
- Hence the technology used is >90% from the evil west
- Only rich people can steal oil/gas to convert it into yachts and London flats.
- Bribe the Prez to steal oil/gas
11/n

11/ Inflation
- There is no inflation
- Inflation is a way the state steals from you
- It only affects poor people without money, convert your Rubles
- the ruble exchange rate is stable, poor people subsidize the rate for the rich
- Ferrari 3% - LADA 300% price increase p.a.
12/n

12/ State Budget
- State Budget is the money the state has stolen
- Includes charitable donations from oligarchs, aka taxes
- Avoid taxes using bribes
- Budget finances oligarchs & siloviki without natural commodity fiefdom
- pays pesky gopnik pensions
- pays OMON/SOBR
13/n

13/ Human resources
- A person is a commodity the army can steal/mobilize
- Production lacks, so the state steals from neighbour countries
- You may bribe yourself out of being stolen by army
- Jobs are provided via bribes
- If you steal enough you may live in the evil west
14/n

14/ Services
- A service is obtained by bribe aka fee
- serving state is "compensated" in rubles
- public servants are really payed via bribes, preferably in Money ($/€)
- You may also avoid state services via bribe
- Services degrade radially from Moscow
- All serve Putin
15/n

15/ Legal system
- Justice is a public service, use bribes
- Russia is humane, no death penalty
- Instead use accidents, mobilization and GULAG
- The police arrests criminals
- Criminals are convicted
- Arrest leads to conviction
- You may pay for de-arrest using bribes
16/n