In Charts: How Russia’s war is worsening inequality

Hello! This week we analyze how the invasion of Ukraine, now dragging through its fifth year, has widened the gap between rich and poor inside Russia.

Russia’s rich get richer

Vladimir Putin loves to portray himself as the people’s president, combatting the inequality and injustice he inherited from the wild capitalism of the 1990s. Prior to his invasion of Ukraine, Russia had made progress and Putin attached great importance to his image as a champion of social justice. But the war and the rapid transformation of the labor market have rolled back those changes, wiping out a decade of gains.