CHAPTER 651: CHAPTER 313: THE SOVIET UNION’S CONTINUED DECLINE

The prestige of the Soviet Union has already plummeted to an extremely low level.

Yu Feng looked at the data and continued:

"Meanwhile."

"This year, due to internal resistance within the Soviet Union, reforms have stagnated."

"Coupled with the inherent turmoil within the country."

"This has led to the military-industrial complex actually expanding further, with its output now accounting for 44% of the entire nation."

Despite the country already being war-weary and the internal livelihood deteriorating.

The various domestic interest groups have indeed become too powerful to control, making reforms not only hindered, but after reform stagnation, the proportion of military-industrial output increased instead.

It seems these interest groups are only after money, regardless of the fate of the country.

Seeing this.

The Blue Star players were also shocked.

To this extent.

Those interest groups still only focus on money, without considering what would happen if the Soviet Union really collapsed... or maybe not.

Even if the Soviet Union collapsed, it wouldn’t affect them.

The only ones affected are the countless citizens of the Soviet Union.

These interest groups are likely living well, and possibly, in the end, they might even profit off it.

It’s truly...

The repeated downfall of dynasties in ancient Huaxia already provided an answer.

In ancient Huaxia, the hierarchy placed merchants at the bottom for a reason; when encountering heartless individuals... it’s these kinds of merchants.

The Soviet Union is already in such a situation, yet the output proportion of the military-industrial complex is still increasing.

Continuing like this...

Yu Feng continued speaking:

"Then it’s 1984."

"This year."

"The military expenditure of the Soviet Union in the Afghanistan region reached $5 billion, with an average of at least 500 soldiers killed each month."

"They invested so much, yet there was no return."

"War-weariness started spreading within the Soviet Union, and the citizens began to express dissatisfaction."

"The quagmire of the Afghanistan War is no exaggeration."

"So many countries have been here."

"Investing so much, yet receiving nothing in return."

"It’s just a geographically strategic location."

"There’s nothing else."

"If there were some good oil or minerals here, it wouldn’t be just investment without returns."

"A pure money pit."

Many empires have fought here, but it’s too barren to invest domestic funds to build here.

Hence, any country that conquers here essentially refrains from development.

Without development, it remains destitute.

Poverty leads to no development, no development means no wealth.

No wealth, combined with oppressive policies from foreign rulers, causes the citizens of the Afghanistan Federation to resist, consuming the conqueror’s money and materials.

This results in a continuous military and resource expenditure by conquering nations into this money pit, while the people here keep resisting.

Amid this vicious cycle.

No nation can really conquer here.

Especially when nearly 70% of the Afghanistan Federation is mountainous, what’s there to develop?

Simply building roads is a major challenge.

Even the wealthy United States eventually couldn’t sustain it.

Much less the current Soviet Union, especially considering the Soviet Union faces a food crisis domestically.

Initially, the Soviet Union’s military expenditure in the Afghanistan Federation was just over $3 billion.

But in just a few years.

The military expenditure in the Afghanistan Federation has reached $5 billion, and it’s expected to increase next year, the year after, and so on, until the Soviet Union cannot bear it anymore...

Yu Feng flipped through the data and said:

"And it’s not just the quagmire of war."

"The Economic Mutual Aid Committee initially established by the Soviet Union also shows signs of disintegration."

"Why?"

"Because, at its inception, the Economic Mutual Aid Committee itself functioned for mutual benefit between the Soviet Union and its Eastern European countries under its command, achieving a perfect cycle."

"But with the economic crisis unfolding."

"The Eastern European countries in the Economic Mutual Aid Committee already owe over 160 billion rubles in loans to the Soviet Union, the suzerain."

"These loans can’t be repaid."

"And they can’t be repaid even within a few years."

"Given the Soviet Union’s domestic situation, it’s impossible for it to continue external loans."

"So, the Soviet Union’s trade shifted towards Western Europe."

"And with the Soviet Union’s trade shifting to Western Europe, their biggest patron is no longer playing with them, effectively rendering the so-called Economic Mutual Aid Committee nominal."

Hearing this.

The Blue Star players in the live stream were speechless.

It’s truly...

Each year is harder than the last.

The Soviet Union, in recent years, hasn’t encountered anything good.

This is such a drastic change compared to the power projection at its peak during global expansion.

How did it fall into such dire straits so quickly?

Yu Feng paused and said:

"Then it’s 1985."

"This year...."

Seeing this.

Hearing Yu Feng’s tone, the Blue Star netizens in the live stream didn’t need to guess; the Soviet Union was obviously in more trouble.

In fact.

It was indeed more difficult, even more than they imagined.

Yu Feng said:

"International oil prices were cut in half."

"From $30 per barrel, it plummeted to $12, halved more than once."

"As everyone knows."

"The Soviet Union endured for so many years because of the huge profits from exporting oil, leading them to expansion peaks."

"The foreign exchange earnings from oil exports supported their internal economic crisis from rapidly worsening."

"But now...."

"The halving of oil prices severely hit the Soviet Union’s economy."

"Because, over these years, agriculture hasn’t been developed, and oil exports account for over 70% of foreign exchange, with food being purchased externally."

"Now, they don’t produce their own grain, and the foreign exchange arm for acquiring funds is halved."

"The blow to the Soviet Union is unimaginable."

This needs no further explanation.

The Blue Star netizens in the live stream already imagined the situation.

After all, the Soviet Union is primarily reliant on exporting oil for foreign exchange to gain funds.

And now it’s halved.

It’s already fortunate that the domestic situation hasn’t collapsed; they don’t even dare to think about anything else.

However.

This year wasn’t just about this one thing.

Yu Feng continued:

"This year."

"The labor union in Poland, after years of unrest, finally became legal."

"Meaning their existence is now legal, no longer having to fear suppression."

"At this time."

"Hungary suddenly opened the border."

"Causing a massive flight of the Imperial citizens from the Eastern Empire, controlled by the Soviet Union, to escape west to the Western Empire under the control of the United States."

"The chaotic situation in Eastern Europe is now foreseeable."

"But unfortunately...."

"The Soviet Union now has no solutions."

"Just the halving of foreign exchange alone has the Soviet Union unable to deal with anything else."

"Now, they can only try every way to delay the inevitable demise."

Saying this.

The Blue Star netizens in the live stream observed.

The Soviet Union is now caught in a systemic collapse from within to without, from top to bottom.

This unsustainable situation won’t be solved by a single aspect.

But the entire nation, society, and system can no longer sustain.

From its satellite states to its Federation, from the grassroots people and soldiers to the top tier’s repeated changes in leadership, to the external quagmire of the Afghanistan Federation war.

The entire Soviet Union is in trouble.

There’s no good news from any aspect, except in military-industrial areas.

Because even now.

The military-industrial’s output of the Soviet Union still constitutes a large majority of domestic production.

And this military-industrial output cannot be stopped anymore.

If it stops.

It might even cause a collapse in that aspect, speeding up the Soviet Union’s demise exponentially.

In such a scenario, even with a visual interface for them to operate.

They don’t know where to start because every area is a problem, they’re all problems....

Yu Feng said:

"In recent years, the Soviet Union has been mired in the quagmire of the Afghanistan War, the shadow of nuclear war, and the dilemma of frequent leadership changes. These negative factors stacked together, it’s truly...."

"That’s roughly it."

"We’ve talked about the Soviet Union, now let’s take a look at the United States."