©“Bucha. Faces of War. - Ukraine War Photo Exhibition 2023” by Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed byCC BY 2.0 In his speeches, Vladimir Putin portrays the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a national struggle that unites all the Russian people. Yet Putin’s claims do not hold up under closer scrutiny. In reality, Russia has increasingly relied on poverty as a key recruitment tool both within and outside its borders. Russia weaponises poverty by turning economic despera