The Cost of War: Assessing Russia’s Strategic Decline

As Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds into its fifth year, and after significant escalation in recent weeks, this event will discuss how war has accelerated structural pressures on the Kremlin in military, economic, and geopolitical arenas. In conversation with FPRI Eurasia Program Director Dr. Emily Holland, Dr. Suzanne Loftus and András Tóth-Czifra discussed what these pressures may mean for Russia after the war, or how these trends will affect Russia’s ability to wage war in the longer term. Drawing on battlefield trends, shifting international support networks and Moscow’s declining influence abroad, this event considered the longer-term implications of Russia’s strategic erosion for Ukraine, European security, and Western policy. Check out the related event material: Suzanne Loftus' recent report Russia's War of Self Destruction. https://www.fpri.org/article/2026/06/...