Ask HN: Is Russia the Next North Korea?

Not exactly like North Korea but it will become very isolated like the former USSR.

It is such a tragedy, I have no words. I have friends in Russia and I don't know what is going to happen with them. One crazy dictator can destroy the country so quickly.

I kind of doubt it. Maybe at some highly generalized level,, but not looking at the details..

They're bigger (population, geographically, economically), have more resources (fertilizer, energy, uranium, wheat, etc), more trade (even with sanctions some countries are still willing to trade), their leader isn't worshiped like a God, etc.

One big difference is the suddenness of the downturn and the contrast to previous life.

Up until now, Russians were reasonably well-off and reasonably free in their travels or political views, if they kept those to themselves.

Unlike North Koreans, they'll have memories of a better life, adding discontent to their fear.

Whether that will make a difference in practical terms is anyone's guess.

There is the possibility of a change of leadership.

It's obviously not the most probable outcome. But as long as we're doing armchair speculation, I'll toss out that a change of leadership is at least slightly more possible in Russia than in North Korea. (A recent CBC video even offered this detail. "UK intelligence services claim they are seeing strong dissension among senior military officers about Putin's invasion of Ukraine.")

https://www.facebook.com/thenational/videos/1081131226076627

I doubt it. North Korean geography lands itself to isolation. DMZ, China and the sea. Russians plenty of border countries that they can get in with large Russian communities that can help them.

Even if another strong man replaces Putin in the mid, I’m not sure people will accept that anymore.