Russia's economy is becoming more 'primitive' and war could push it to the same fate as the Soviet Union, says economist targeted by Moscow

• Economist Konstantin Sonin said the Russian economy has become more primitive since the war began, Russian news outlet Novaya Gazeta reported.
• The economist, who Moscow placed on its wanted list, said Russia could follow the Soviet Union's path toward "complete economic implosion."
• "Everything that is happening makes the Russian economy more primitive, more backwards."

Russia's economy is becoming increasingly primitive as its war in Ukraine drags on, and the repercussions could push it down the same path the Soviet Union endured three decades ago, according to the Russian economist and University of Chicago professor Konstantin Sonin.