They couldn't change their economy when oil was over 100$/baril and they were swimming in cash and they'll reform now under a crisis ? Stories for gullible little children.
Crisis is one of the best ways to reforms. It was the collapse of Muscovy during the civil war of the time of troubles started by Dmitry Samozvanets that led to decline of Streltsy and rise of the cossacks and these same cossacks drove the great expansion across the Grand Tartary ,Caucusus,Central Asia which led to rise of Veliko-Rus .
Similiarly ,the creation of ICBM's and space travel by Russia led to great cost reduction and greatly reduced time in striking into the heartland of the enemy with WMD's to cause total destruction of enemy. These major innovations achieved in the face of great pressure. T-34 was created in similiar pressure by nazi germany which led to the victory of USSR.
Great pressure works to make us better. The dependence on exports is like an addiction of a drug addict like my Grandfather said once and makes the administration lazy. Only a crisis works to mobilise Russia properly as proven by history again and again.
Abiotic oil discovery in USSR was due to western oil embargo on USSR after world war 2 under Stalin . Again under pressure this was achieved and this became the reason for Russia being no.1 exporter of oil.
This great pressure ,Russia needs again and again,alongside christianity.Though today we have great underground cities like Yamantau ,Uragan Defense etc. Not so called human rights NGO's and altanticists/oiligarch-mafia nexus who are Dmitry Samozvanets in disguise,the same bunch who via their media,'freedom' and soft power corporate approach managed to fool us in 80's-90's.
But now we have the foreign agent act for such NGO's.
