Between 12,000 and 15,000 companies have shut down in Russia each month for economic reasons since the start of 2026, roughly three times the monthly total in previous years. As the state drains resources to fund the war, Sberbank analysts warn that Russian enterprises have entered their first full-scale “demographic crisis”. In this Wednesday Economic Review, we look past the official propaganda to uncover the real state of the Russian economy in August 2026. I’m Konstantin Samoilov, a Russian in exile and creator of Inside Russia community. If you want serious, brutal, and honest anti-propaganda analysis of how Russia really works, hit Subscribe.