I believe drinking more Radeberger is not a potential key to resolving Russia's economic difficulties.

It's worth noting that Mikhail Gorbachev's response to the 1980s-era problems cited below was not to dismantle the Soviet Union, but to reform it, something only an "insider" could hope to achieve. However, once Gorby the Insider went under the hood and began tinkering with rotted parts, dismantlement was the direct result.

There was far too much sand and not enough cement.

Putin's new edition of Mother Russia may not be quite that dilapidated. If it is, we may wish to be ready for the consequences. I enjoyed drinking beers in Volodya's general proximity while in Dresden all those years ago, but as I've learned time and time again in my own life, nostalgic beer memories seldom pay the bills.

Russia's Economy Is Collapsing. Here's What You Need to Know, by Jenna McLaughlin (Mother Jones)

... Why did the Soviet Union lose control of its satellite states behind the Iron Curtain in 1989? Lots of reasons, but the proximate cause was a disastrous war in Afghanistan; plummeting oil prices; and a resulting economic crisis.

War, sanctions, an oil crash, and finally bankruptcy. And while history may not repeat itself, it sure does rhyme sometimes: 25 years later Vladimir Putin has managed to back himself into a situation surprisingly similar to the one that led to the end of the Soviet Union and the final victory of the West—the very event that's motivated almost everything he's done over the past few years. This is either ironic or chilling, depending on your perspective.