One of the key reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union was overextension - it was simply incapable of sustaining its military deployments while keeping up with the United States at the same time.
And nobody knows this better than Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, while bemoaning the end of the USSR as "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of his lifetime, vowed to avoid previous mistakes.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
