Confessions on Russian Telegram:
Russia is losing its last competitive advantage
Once, the Kremlin liked to repeat: "But we have cheap energy." This argument was the last consolation for businesses, industry, and the population facing taxes, sanctions, and isolation.
But now even that has crumbled — electricity in Russia costs the same as in Hungary: about 10.4 euro cents per kilowatt-hour, or 9.7 rubles.
For comparison — Hungary buys energy resources from Russia, not producing them. Yet it pays roughly the same for electricity as the country exporting gas, oil, and coal. And this speaks louder than any reports about "price stability."
Russia, having lost access to Western technologies and cheap loans, is now losing its main competitive advantage — cheap energy, on which its industry relied. Gasoline costs as much as in the USA.
Electricity — as in Canada or some American states. Even China, the world's largest energy consumer, now pays less than Russia.
These are not just numbers — they are a symptom. When a country sitting on gas, oil, and coal cannot provide low domestic prices, it means something in the system has gone deeply wrong.
When energy stops being cheap, the last source of strength disappears.