Russia's economy minister publicly admitted reserves are depleted as GDP contracted 1.8% in early 2026, forcing the central bank into aggressive rate cuts despite wartime inflation and labor shortages from military spending. Putin has begun openly pressuring officials for solutions, and a communist lawmaker warned parliament that without action by autumn, Russia faces the kind of economic crisis that triggered the 1917 revolution. The underlying vulnerability is structural — Russia's military-industrial complex is losing money due to corruption and battlefield losses, while Ukraine's drone strikes on oil infrastructure prevent Moscow from capitalizing on higher crude prices.