September 4, 2026
photo: facebook/Glen Grant
Russia is building up its military capabilities thanks to the support of Iran, North Korea and China, but remains vulnerable due to the situation on the front and the instability of the banking system. It is the economic problems that could force the Kremlin to change its behavior
This opinion was expressed on the air of Espresso and Slawa.TV by retired British Army colonel and military expert Glen Grant in an interview with Anton Borkovsky, host of the “Studio West” program.
According to him, Russia continues to receive military support from its allies: in some areas from Iran, significantly from North Korea, and increasingly from China. This allows Moscow to build up its capabilities for missile attacks on Ukraine.
“It seems that the West is not very actively trying to block this support. Russia is increasing its capabilities to launch missile strikes on Ukraine, and I think this situation will continue for some time,” Grant noted.
At the same time, the expert identified two weak points for the Kremlin. The first is the situation on the battlefield, where a successful Ukrainian breakthrough could cause serious problems for Russian troops.
“Ukraine can not only push back Russian forces, but also make a breakthrough that will lead to the collapse of the front. I have been saying this for a long time, but now I have more hope for positive changes, especially after Drapatiy became commander-in-chief,” he said.
Grant called Russia’s banking system the second weak point. A significant number of Russian companies have large debts and are forced to repay loans with interest.
“People forget that the Russian economy still functions as an ordinary state economy. It has not yet turned into a North Korean-type economy. Companies need money, investors, and they have to service bank loans,” the military expert explained.
In his assessment, the accumulation of corporate debt is making Russia’s financial system increasingly unstable. Problems in individual large companies could affect banks, lending, and the economy as a whole.
“The economy is becoming increasingly unstable. I think it is the economic situation that can force Putin to take certain actions – and not necessarily the situation on the front,” Grant concluded.
- Earlier, Reuters , citing an intelligence report from one of the European countries, reported that Russia is facing an “explosive” banking crisis: in order to keep the war economy afloat, banks are accumulating more and more problem loans to companies and the population.