Skeptical of Russia's data, some Western officials judge its economy by looking at Moscow from space

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-photos-expose-faltering-russian-economy-sweden-2025-1

WARNING!!!

Paywalled!

Seems ok 

 

 

The declining health of Russia's economy is as clear as day — or night, a finance minister said Wednesday.

Elisabeth Svantesson, the finance minister of Sweden, said she and her officials were skeptical of how Russia's official figures were describing its economy.

One measure they use instead, she said on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, is comparing photos of Moscow by night.

The lighting there, she said, was darker in 2023 than in 2021, indicating a capital and a nation in trouble.

Business Insider found some public photos showing the Moscow skyline in the years Svantesson mentioned. Here is one from March 2021:

 

 

Ah, it's the Brave Shields doing it's stupid blocking thing. Disabling the Shields worked fine, can see the article now.