Why Russia's economy is doing so well – even if the good times won't likely last

Open this photo in gallery: A man waves the Russian national flag as he arrives at the patriotic concert at the Red square in downtown Moscow ahead of Russia Day on June 11, 2023.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images John Rapley is an author and academic who divides his time among London, Johannesburg and Ottawa. His books include Why Empires Fall (Yale University Press, 2023) and Twilight of the Money Gods (Simon and Schuster, 2017). When Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, the Western alliance rallied to both support Ukraine and isolate Russia. In addition to arming Ukraine and taking in refugees, Western…