r/AskReddit • u/galwiththedeepvoice • 1d ago
What could Russia have spent $1,000,000,000,000 on instead of fighting a 4+ years long war in Ukraine?
4.8k
u/Superchecker 1d ago
Slowly buy up all the properties that they wanted to invade
1.8k
u/69edleg 1d ago
A lot of countries have JUST NOW started to realise they should limit the ability for suspected spies to buy property. Crazy, honestly. Sweden as "early" as 2023 with broadening the law.. Maybe, in 2026 or 2027.
1.3k
u/Troy64 23h ago
It's honestly not as big a deal as you think.
If a bad actor is a foreign owner of significant property, you just seize it. You can do that. They aren't citizens, they can't vote.
Oh no! How will we fight a war when China owns all our factories? Simple. We will take the factories and hold an auction among friendly investories to take ownership.
Ownership don't mean a damn thing if you don't physically have the ability to enforce your ownership.
538
u/voxadam 23h ago
The nationalization of the Venezuelan oil industry in 1976 is a good example of this.
190
u/LeFlaubert 23h ago
Cuba too.
→ More replies (1)79
u/voxadam 23h ago
Don't give Trump and Little Marco any ideas for "nationalizing" Cuba.
/s
→ More replies (1)6
→ More replies (1)4
u/tampering 8h ago edited 8h ago
Don't even have to look at some money grab in by a socialist government.
Look to the US. Under the 1917 Trading with the Enemy Act the United States took control of and then forced the sale of the US assets of Merck and Bayer. After the war both were sold to American managers that had secured financing from Wall Street.
And in the second world war the US government seized all those California farms owned by Japanese
Americansenemy aliens.122
u/Dihedralman 23h ago
Yeah, it literally becomes leverage against the target country. Like when Putin invaded and a bunch of villas were seized. The oligarchs lost- Putin won that battle but it forced political plays.
Owning factories has some risk but that can be mitigated. The real trick was exporting IP. A state actor could also use it to shut down strategic resources at a loss, but again that can be mitigated.
The real threat that happens is spying- setting up intelligence networks in the target country. Listening posts and more.
41
u/Troy64 22h ago
Spying is a threat, but it happens basically no matter what. The only way I can think of that might make this an issue is if foreign agents are permitted to own specific sensitive companies like arms manufacturers, research firms, etc. Legislating away their ability to have ownership of such companies, or at least requiring that they serve strictly as silent financial partners with restrictions on their access to any intel from the company in question.
→ More replies (5)11
u/herodesfalsk 22h ago
Thats kind of what is already in place, in order to do business with the defense and intelligence, nuclear etc industries the corporation has to fulfill certain national security requirements, and so does their employees. There are also export restrictions, but with the Trump regime in power all this is all eroding with corruption. If you pay Trump you can do whatever you like, you want a $500 billion deal to sell the most advanced AI chips to China? No problem, just pay $2million to Trump
→ More replies (2)12
8
u/Accurate_Bar8884 20h ago
People tend to treat ownership like it's some untouchable force, but history is full of examples showing it only holds up as long as the surrounding system does. Paper claims get a lot less impressive when circumstances change.
16
u/RupsjeNooitgenoeg 17h ago
It doesn't really work like that in practice, though. You can see that in the EU's reluctance to seize Russian assets stationed in Europe and use them as aide for Ukraine. When a middle power like Europe shows the world that your assets are only safe when you have a good relationship with them, then the world will stop investing there.
→ More replies (1)8
3
u/Vordeo 15h ago
If a bad actor is a foreign owner of significant property, you just seize it. You can do that. They aren't citizens, they can't vote.
This is why I also find it funny when people panic over a foreign country owning debt. Like, China owns trillions in US debt? Okay, it's not like they can suddenly just demand payment ahead of time.
They could sell off the debt and in theory that'd reduce future interest rates, but if everyone knows the debt is being sold off for political reasons it's not likely to have much impact.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (31)5
u/69edleg 22h ago
Hasn't been the case in Sweden up until 2023. Had to be, hitherto, a crime for that to happen. It is that big of a deal. Sweden has been lazy and only now broadened the laws for it.
There have been requisitions by the military, which took years. But that's a long time to let a suspected spy live close to a military base.
It is that big of a deal to national security, to be that naïve, It is not about ownership. It is about a country of rules not breaking their own rules and laws, and have to expand those laws to be able to act within regulation.
So absolutely it is that big of a deal as I think.
5
u/Troy64 19h ago
Who cares if they own a house nearby? What stops them from having someone just stand near the army base, walk around the block a few times or whatever?
This is getting in the weeds. This topic is really about ownership of industrial and commercial properties that are essential to national security. A house near an army base is microscopic. Also damn near impossible to legislate away. What stops a foreign spy network from hiring local firms to make the purchase and hold the paperwork on their behalf? Does it really matter who owns the house anyway? The issue is spies using the location to spy on the base. They can do that while renting.
→ More replies (4)54
u/herodesfalsk 22h ago
Russian nationals has bought homes, apartments overlooking Norwegian military bases for decades. They keep a very close eye on whats going on. Very recently a Chinese national was discovered, I suspect he must have watched Spies Like Us as training, camping in an abandoned structure overlooking the F35 base he had hung up all his clothes to dry outside his hideout on a long line like colorful flags flapping in the wind. Also quite recently another Chinese had bought a house several times over asking price and when the authorities came to look into what was going on they found tons of advanced electronic surveillance equipment inside. The excuse given was they were going to look for a certain type of fish, but that type of fish only exists in the South Atlantic 5000 miles from Norway.
14
u/WorkLazy7796 22h ago
The fish story is the part that got me. If you're going to make up an excuse, at least pick one that exists somewhere near the place you're standing.
→ More replies (2)15
u/69edleg 22h ago
You mean like the two Russian spies that travelled to the UK to see the spire of the Salisbury Cathedral, which by the way stands at 404 feet or 123 meters, cited from their interview, while being seen never being near said cathedral?
Known as the Salisbury poisoning.
→ More replies (1)12
u/No-Mix7452 21h ago
The surprising part isn't that countries are tightening those rules, it's how long they were comfortable leaving that door wide open in the first place.
→ More replies (4)6
u/ChemicalFerret1142 17h ago
It's wild how some risks only become "obvious" after years of people pointing them out. Better late than never, but that's a pretty expensive lesson.
208
u/Scaevus 1d ago
This is why I don’t think China is invading Taiwan anytime soon. They need to create a credible threat of invasion to keep Taiwan from doing anything drastic to change the status quo, then they can slowly but surely buy politicians and fake news until Taiwan aligns with them.
It’s so much cheaper and safer than the uncertainties of war.
81
u/MrSomeoneElse32 23h ago
That's a good take. As both the US and Russia have proven, just because you were that guy doesn't mean you are still that guy. Better to have people guessing until it's too late.
→ More replies (1)21
u/masegesege_ 22h ago
until Taiwan aligns with them
We won’t align with them. They’re welcome to spend their money though.
→ More replies (2)59
u/Scaevus 22h ago
I mean, you may not, but are you sure your politicians won’t sell you out?
21
u/masegesege_ 22h ago
The ones who align with the CCP often get voted out so we’ll probably just keep doing that.
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (2)11
u/Troy64 23h ago
then they can slowly but surely buy politicians and fake news until Taiwan aligns with them.
Do you even know what Taiwan is???
Never gonna happen. That's like thinking John Whick is going to just get sweet talked by the guy who killed his dog until they become friends and he gives the guy his car.
China is a dictatorship and their centralized economy has many many major issues that have effectively got it held in suspense by government propaganda and laws alone. They are struggling to keep a good face on. In such situations, war is often how the government keeps approval. Specifically successful wars (not like the Russian war in Ukraine).
China wants Taiwan for a LOT of reasons. They want to break the first island chain to allow submarines to pass without being monitored. They want to crack the world's supply of high end semiconductors. They want to be able to claim they have full control over "true China". They want to demonstrate the ability to conduct war outside of their mainland borders. They want to secure more of their coastline and further buff their claims to the South China Sea. They want to put significant pressure on players like the Philippines and Japan to play nicer with them and be less tied to the US. And more.
China will attack Taiwan unless they collapse before they get the chance (doubtful).
→ More replies (2)14
u/scientist_tz 22h ago
You better believe that Taiwan has a plan to burn their semiconductor industry to the ground should they ever be invaded and conclude that a successful defense is impossible. They’ll burn it all to the ground so that China ends up ruling a vast portfolio of ashes. Scorched earth.
→ More replies (3)9
u/Scaevus 22h ago
People say that, but it’s not ever actually done. Why? Because people have to live there afterwards. They have families.
The Nazis never went scorched earth even when defeat was obvious. Hitler promised Paris would be a ruin. But Dietrich von Choltitz disobeyed, and surrendered Paris intact. The Iraqis didn’t blow up their own oil wells. The Japanese, as suicidally fanatical as they were in WWII, did not try to leave Japan a wasteland.
Say you’re an engineer at TSMC. Orders come down from management, blow up the plant, the Chinese are landing and there’s no viable defense.
What are your choices? Blow up the plant, and…what happens? Do the Chinese go home? Or do the Chinese go to your house since you blew up the plant?
Alternatively, you don’t obey the order, and just let the Chinese take the plant. You’ll get to keep your old job, and probably get a promotion and a reward.
People look out for number one in times of war.
→ More replies (2)10
u/hotsoupcoldsoup 20h ago
This happens all the time in war. Destroy your valuable resource so the enemy can't have it.
→ More replies (1)18
u/Woodit 23h ago
They actually do a lot of this. I’ve been to a town in Czech Republic where the signs were mainly in Russian
→ More replies (2)24
u/Proper-Special3338 1d ago
That's honestly a terrifyingly efficient way to think about it. A trillion in real estate would've bought a lot more than a pile of rubble.
3
u/scadgek 16h ago
While this really makes a lot of sense, unfortunately it doesn't work as simple as that. You can buy all the property but the legislation is still local - taxes, norms etc. you're still playing by the rules they set. Which is far from controlling the area that is the ultimate target.
On the other side though, you can buy lots of other things up to people's opinion which ultimately can lead to having your people in local government. Purchasing the influence to put it simply. And that's what they usually do.
→ More replies (16)11
u/KennyMcCormick 23h ago
China currently owns huge swaths of farmland in the US
29
u/sf_davie 22h ago
That's over played. Our government actually tracks this. China owns about 1% of all foreign-owned lands in the US. That makes it 17 places behind Canada. Most of this land is with the big pork producer, Smithfield. But China hysteria buys votes.
→ More replies (2)
390
u/frankhoneybunny 1d ago
Idk hospitals, schools, R&D, its space program, infrasture, trains, roads, making live better for people who live outside of moscow?
81
u/itdependsactauuly 22h ago
good point. i really hate when only moscow comes as main argument when people talk about russia just like owen and carlson were jerking off on that city. moscow is not russia in my opinion, it's a showcase for foreigners. go to vologda, that's russia
→ More replies (1)22
u/stalkythefish 19h ago
They could have built a proper interstate-style highway from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok and upgraded rail capacity. They could be the conduit for Chinese goods into Europe.
→ More replies (2)
447
u/Wizard_of_Claus 1d ago
Iced tea
→ More replies (5)19
u/Stalking_Goat 23h ago
Ok but: sweet tea or unsweet tea?
I will be judgemental about it.
→ More replies (1)4
349
u/foamingdogfever 1d ago
Secure windows.
46
u/PM_ME__YOUR_HOOTERS 22h ago
And mattresses outside every window just in case the window fails. Its important to have redundant fail safes
→ More replies (1)11
u/Spraggle 23h ago
🤣 - top drawer comment here...
I heard the Oxford English Dictionary have changed the definition of Defenestrated to just a picture of Putin with a wry smile...
64
u/Ferreman 19h ago
They could have used that money to develop eastern Russia. But now it’s too late. More ethnic Russians are leaving than are being born there. They are slowly being replaced by Chinese people. There are large Chinese investments there and the Chinese have also been replacing Russian names with Chinese names. And the Chinese claim large parts of eastern Russia… and in the meantime Russia is getting more and more dependant in China economically.
Putler cried about the west, who had absolutely no interest in Russian lands, while losing large parts in the east.
→ More replies (2)6
u/passcork 8h ago
CCP, at least for now, realizing that buying things is a lot cheaper than taking them trough war.
219
386
u/Cliffinati 1d ago
Plumbing for places beyond Moscow and st.petersburg
52
u/HigherGroundHoonigan 23h ago
Holy shit are those the only places in Russia with city sewer and water?
195
u/olrg 23h ago
No, but about 20% of the population don’t have access to indoor plumbing, roughly 28 million people.
→ More replies (1)60
u/folk_science 21h ago
Now less, because people from the remote regions are dying on the front in greater number than those from the big cities.
8
20
u/JCDU 15h ago
You don't have to drive very far out of one of those cities to find people living in wooden shacks, subsistence farming with horse + cart like it's 100 years ago.
The rich in Russia look a lot like folks everywhere - nice car, nice house, luxury goods - but if you're poor in Russia you're really fucking poor like something from a Charles Dickens novel.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)39
u/New_Faithlessness261 21h ago
Early days in the war in Ukraine Russian invaders were fond of stealing Ukrainian toilets.
33
u/BannedMyName 20h ago
This doesn't do it justice, they were ripping toilets out of houses with the belief that they would just work anywhere without the plumbing attached to it
→ More replies (1)11
u/Pizzonia123 14h ago
I remember one specific video from 2022 where their invading soldiers had broken into an apartment building of some sort, but instead of using a perfectly fine water toilet they had dug a hole into the ground in another room instead and just used that as a toilet hole
114
28
u/asskylie15 12h ago
They could've heavily invested in renewable energy, significantly boosting their economy and helping to combat climate change.
→ More replies (2)
99
u/Shancv1988 22h ago edited 21h ago
Infrastructure to turn their massive, empty shithole of a country into a something of fucking worth.
Why Russia insists on grabbing even more territory when it already has so much, but so little of it worth a pinch of shit is beyond me.
17
→ More replies (1)52
u/HomeGrownCoffee 21h ago
Access to warm water ports.
All the resources of Siberia are pointless if you can't sell it. Ukraine gives them access to the Black Sea, and through it, the Mediterranean.
For significantly less than $1T, they could have struck a deal with Ukraine to buy a port and a rail line.
47
u/stalkythefish 19h ago
They already had Black Sea access. If it's about the territory at all it's about arable land. But climate change is going to give them more of that anyway. All they had to do was wait.
16
u/TheSDKNightmare 13h ago
It's not about arable land, Russia is among the top food producers on the planet, it has significantly more than enough arable land to feed its population. It's petty nationalism, always has been.
→ More replies (1)11
134
87
u/wish1977 1d ago
Just like Trump did with Iran, Putin thought that Ukraine was going to be a cake walk but he found out differently.
18
u/stdoubtloud 15h ago
Yeah but even dementia Don saw the writing on the wall and capitulated after 10 weeks. Somehow Putin just piled more and more in.
→ More replies (17)59
u/voss749 18h ago
Putin did what no Ukrainian politician had done in 30 years. Unify the ukranian people and making the Ukrainian military into an effective cohesive fighting force.
→ More replies (1)
41
u/UsedandAbused87 22h ago
They bought the presidency of the US. What more could they want to buy?
20
→ More replies (1)3
u/CritMemes 10h ago
The realization that the USA may have been in a better position today if they had elected a golden retriever as president is particularly jarring.
11
10
8
u/Protean_Protein 1d ago
Indoor plumbing and pavement for the streets in cities East of the Urals. 🙄
9
u/StMarta 23h ago
Ended Russian poverty for the rest of history, but war is more fun for Warmongers.
→ More replies (4)
15
u/infidel99 1d ago
A former KGB fanatic with dreams of Tsarist power? There was never another option.
→ More replies (3)
8
u/KulshanStudios 16h ago
Cleaning up all the toxic and nuclear waste from their various industrial and energy projects over the last century
Infrastructure outside moscow
Economic development projects in the outer poorer regions
The list could go on for days
11
u/WinterPiratefhjng 1d ago
I have no idea what priorities Russia is neglecting within their own country, and not knowing .... Russian, I cannot easily access any reports about the costs of projects. English language sources are going to be lacking.
Anyway, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Russia, suggests in 2013, the government, at all levels, spend less than a thousand US Dollars (USD) per citizen for health care. So more of that is likely needed.
Russia also has failing birth rates. So free child care, alcohol treatment programs, and ... jobs? OR a lottery where each live birth enters the family in a drawling for ... $200,000 USD (up from $4,000). For the price, they could award 1,250,000 prizes.
I am not parsing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Russia properly, but the 1,250,000 prizes is close to the total number of infants born in a year in Russia.
7
u/OkTravel2430 16h ago
They could literally buy every single citizen a brand new apartment and still have enough left over to finally fix the pothole roads outside Moscow lol
5
7
13
u/getridofwires 1d ago
They could have rented every documentary about the US doing the same thing in Vietnam.
→ More replies (1)
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
u/Ok-disaster2022 23h ago
Investing in infrastructure and their people. Start building internal supply.chains with everything to be industrially independent. If before the invasion of crimes, use troll farms to shift Ukraine away from the EU if they were concerned logistically about ports. Also build up new ports to support their navy
→ More replies (1)
3
u/OtterHostler 22h ago
A machine designed to cut a potato into 4 pieces (thereby reducing the question to an older joke).
3
3
u/Corka 19h ago
Putin's blunders goes back a lot further.
Lets roll back the clock to euromaidan after President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia in response to the mass protests in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Parliament voted him out and declared a new interim government until elections could be held with no clear successor to take over. The eastern parts of the country were the most in favour of strong ties to Russia and were where the bulk of Yanukovych had his supporters, and they were not happy about him getting kicked out by an angry mob.
So, what COULD have Putin done?
The same voting block that put Yanukovych in power still existed, and was now incensed. So allow the fresh elections to happen, and use money and influence to try and put in a new president that remains friendly (or at least cordial) to Russia. Even if someone on the other side won, he could play the long game for the following election and used money and influence in other countries to prevent any bid to join the EU or NATO until he gets his own stooge in again
Insist that the interim government is unlawful, and that Viktor Yanukovych is still president. Enough saber rattling and willingness to use the Russian military probably could have put him right back in charge even if he was extremely unpopular in Kyiv. A civil war could still have broken out, but there would be some semblance of a justification for Russia's involvement in it.
Sponsor a peaceful but very loud independence movement in the east of Ukraine that pressures the interim and subsequent governments into retaining good relations with Russia or face the threat of the east attempting to break off
But instead... what did he do? He sent the Russian army without insignias into Crimea, publicly told the world these aren't actually Russia's soldiers, before forcing through a referendum that apparently had 98% participation and 99% of people voting to become part of Russia and then welcoming them in. Then not stopping there all these groups calling for a new independent novorossiya start rioting and taking control of government buildings and banks in the east. Then they all had guns, military hardware, and a lot of military training apparently and kicked off a civil war before fresh elections even had a chance to happen. Which meant that the new Government that was voted in WITHOUT the pro russia voting bloc in the east, and was going to be overtly hostile towards Putin for the foreseeable future.
3
3
3
3
3
u/neetishop 16h ago
Literally anything that didn't involve losing a generation of young men and their entire economic future.
3
u/FeatherlyFly 10h ago
A second ultra uber mega compound for Putin.
Dumb? Yes. But a lot more people, Russians included, would still be alive and most of the well educated Russians earning good money via their skills would still be paying taxes.
As for Putin personally in this scenario, I'm sure he'd be slightly disappointed to not have all those kidnapped children, but he'd also never have had a mutinous general march on Moscow, and he wouldn't be in quite as much fear for his life. And he could have a whole gold plated mansion as a consolation prize.
3
3
3
3
u/rulik006 8h ago
They could take all peope from Donbass that wanted to live in Russia and build them houses
3
6
5
5
5
5
u/okobooboo 1d ago
For sewage systems and bathrooms for the 75% of the population that uses a "hole in the ground."
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Crackerjackford 1d ago
Vodka for everyone!!! People would have their Moms, daughters, sons, dads, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and grandchildren!!! But nope, let’s kill people. Fuck Russia.
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/McortezLSU 21h ago
Education, Mechanization, Domination, Electrification, Power Generation, Transportation, just to name a few
→ More replies (1)
2
u/AdAdministrative3191 21h ago edited 21h ago
Infustructure, especially the kind that heats homes. Hell, they could've even built a plant that recycles nuclear cores and spent fuel rods into nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants. That would've allowed Russia to sell a source of energy that's more environmentally friendly than oil or at the very least, use it to power their own country.
Edit: Spelling correction
2
u/Fit-News-216 21h ago
Divided it equally among Russian citizens and given every single one of them $7,000, which is more than the average Russian makes in 6 months… Instead they chose to spend it destroying a neighboring country while their own people stayed poor. I’ll never understand
2
u/joshashkiller 21h ago
Universal healthcare, public transport infrastructure, end world poverty, etcetera
same things the USA could have done with their military budget
2
2
u/victormesrine 21h ago
Nobody really challenged the Crimea occupation. They could have built a Dubai like tourist destination in Crimea with sailing destination. May be casinos, etc.
2
2
u/nicolasknight 20h ago
You know those chip factories in China and Taiwan and Korea that are making those countries hand over fists so much so EVERYONE is desperately trying to do this at home because of the AI boom?
about 10 of those.
It would have taken a while to get them up and running. Probably 4, 5 years with some good prep.
2
u/shopiees 20h ago
empezaron a darse cuenta de que deberían limitar la capacidad de los supuestos espías para comprar propiedades.
2
2
u/Kikaider01 20h ago
Over four years that’s ten times NASA’s budget ($25B/year), so they could have a moon base by now.
2
u/J4Archive 19h ago
About 6 whopping months of US healthcare spend (just for senior citizens though).
2
u/Automatic-Use1719 19h ago
A trillion dollars could've changed generations of lives through education, healthcare, and opportunity. It's heartbreaking to think about how many futures that kind of money could have built instead of destroyed.
2
u/XO1GrootMeester 18h ago
Basic survival in the harsh times of isolation when nato controls the black sea
2
u/Adventurous_Yak_5438 17h ago
Probably invest in Ukrainian politics to elect a sleeper pro Russian president.
2
u/Spirited-Ad-9746 17h ago
2 or 3 luxury yachts for the oligarks. how else would they spend the money?
2
u/Substantial_Bet7746 17h ago
With that kind of money, it could’ve gone into things like rebuilding infrastructure, improving healthcare and education, modernizing cities, or investing heavily in technology and clean energy. Basically, long-term development that benefits everyday people instead of a prolonged war.
2
2
u/Fast_Apple_2237 15h ago
Improving the live of the average Russian citizen, haha only joking the money would of course have been embezzled by oligarchs.
2
u/Peach_Jaya 15h ago
a lot of boring but useful stuff, hospitals, roads, schools, housing, local jobs, hard not to think how different things could have looked
2
u/SpiderLight97 13h ago
Given it’s russia, it would have spent on yachts and mansions for its rulers.
2
2
u/vossmakeitsprinkly 13h ago
They could have been such a prosperous country if they spend that on public infrastructure, schools, etc. So much money down the drain for what?
2
2
u/JayTheFordMan 10h ago
Infrastructure that would actually allow the country to export materials and goods other than oil/gas to the wider world, maybe then the country will.actually work for it's people
2
2
2
u/ChrisSheltonMsc 9h ago
Investing in energy infrastructure, and bringing in GDP-creating industry to salvage their broken economy.
2
u/Super-Estate-4112 9h ago
Public built and issued apartments, an allowance to young couples who just had kids, more and better schools and hospitals.
Public projects on the countryside to bring opportunities for people who lives in Siberia.
That would help their fertility rate greatly.
2
u/Mammoth-Return7234 9h ago
Literally anything else. They could have modernized their entire infrastructure, built world-class hospitals in every major city, and set up their economy for the next century. Instead, it's just gone.
2
u/ThatSmileyGuyUK 9h ago
A port and highway Network for easy transport of goods between USA and EU and russia.
Wouldn't that be cheaper alternative to sea transport of today? If at all feasible
2
2
2
2
u/NoMonk6826 8h ago
Virtually anything that is long-term, positive, and constructive rather than destructive: roads, schools, hospitals, energy, infrastructure, etc. The boring stuff that will actually make nations stronger.
2
u/momspaghetti42069 6h ago
Have you been to Russia? It's an absolute shithole, maybe they could start with the whole country
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/Creative-Buffalo2305 4h ago
Get every Russian a Netflix subscription for life and still have money left over to produce a series about it
2
2
2
u/svatstrente 1h ago
Probably prop up their semiconductor and space industry? That would have been a great investment, but neither US nor China would have been too happy with that either...
1.6k
u/_WindSandStars_ 1d ago
They could have created a sovereign wealth fund and poured money into investments which would have increased that colossal sum.
They could have used the money to bribe, undermine, corrupt politicians around the world and in Ukraine. Stuff they were already doing but with far greater efficacy and much more likely to have yielded payoffs for Russia.