Being in a war is bound to become more expensive the longer it drags. Most people, with their instant gratification, think Russia will fall any minute now, but reality is far more of a slow burn. It was obvious from the moment Russia failed to subdue Ukraine, that they would repeat the consequences of their Afghan invasion nearly 40 years ago. The Soviet defeat in Afghanistan was a slow burn that dragged for 10 years, in which the economic costs-- along with mitigating the disaster at Chernobyl-- contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union.