Ukraine’s precision strikes push Russia toward internal collapse: Putin’s empire falls into chaos

While Ukraine scales up attacks on Russian cities and energy infrastructure, Russia descends into a deepening economic and fuel crisis — exposing the fragility of its system. From refinery fires to collapsing supply chains, the consequences are spreading fast. Even distant Russian regions and colonies are beginning to feel the pain, questioning Moscow’s control and looking for a way out. Ukraine’s precision strikes are pushing Russia toward internal collapse — and why the cracks are now impossible to hide. One of Russia's largest financial Telegram channels, MMI , which analyzes macroeconomics and the market situation, published an alarming post that can effectively be considered an admission of a large-scale crisis in the Russian economy. According to Rosstat , the consumer price index in Russia increased by 0.23% in the first week of October , and annual inflation reached 8.1% —and these are only the official figures. Meanwhile, gasoline prices increased by 0.85% over the week and by 10.15% since the beginning of the year .
At first glance, the figures may seem insignificant—fractions of a percent. But in macroeconomics, these are huge leaps : a quarter-percent rise in the CPI in a week is a rate at which annual inflation easily exceeds 12–13%. And gasoline, which has risen 10% in just nine months, is a blow to the entire price chain , from transportation and logistics to food. The channel's experts write with outright panic: "This is, as they say, a crash... if we're lucky, a collapse."
Rising prices and the falling ruble are the result of several blows to the Russian economy. Chief among these are Ukraine's attacks on oil refineries , which are causing Russia to lose fuel production and force it to raise domestic prices. Every new explosion at a refinery now automatically impacts Russians' wallets. At the same time, the Russian Central Bank is backed into a corner: raising the key rate is no longer helping to curb inflation, and lowering it will lead to an even more rapid decline in the ruble.
Economists note that Russia is facing a typical military crisis : rising military spending, a budget deficit, and rising fuel and food prices. Industry is struggling to cope, and retailers are reporting accelerating price increases for almost everything, from bread to household chemicals. Financial analysts at MMI sum up the gloomy situation briefly: "Comment is unnecessary."