Tell the Russians to go into a war with EU for 6 months. Whatever pieces of Russia are left, will be gone and it would be a repeat of the 90's where people would stand on the street getting bread and soup!! To be a super power, one needs an economy to sustain any conflict and recover from it. Deploying two dozen jets and a couple of air defense systems to project power is one thing. To sustain a war with any nation with quarter million troops, two dozen ships and 150 air-assets for 2 years or more, is an entirely different ball game, from which, the Russians don't have the backbone to recover from economically. Just being factual. If Japan or Germany had the military power the Russians have, these two would actually sustain and recover from long warfare and recover too. Hoping I put things in perspective.