By intervening in Syria, annexing Crimea, and sustaining military presence in Eastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have overextended himself. With an annual growth rate of just 1.5%, Russia is now expending 5.3% of its GDP on its military budget, while losing another 3-4% to legal, civilian, and other costs.
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/cost-of-wars-for-russia-by-anders-aslund-2018-09
The one-hour show called “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” comes as Putin suffers one of his largest dips in popularity for years.
https://www.rbc.ru/newspaper/2018/09/03/5b88e1649a79471dc0e5d60d
https://www.svoboda.org/a/29467970.html
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3731610
https://ru.krymr.com/a/sanktsii-i-ukrainskiy-biznes-v-krymu/29468355.html
https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/donbas-realii-ukraina-i-rossia-dilyat-odnu-vulutsyu/29466476.html