Russia’s population dropped by a million people in 2021 — a stunning figure that reflects a team-up of an aging population, a low birth rate — the number of births per woman stands at around 1.5, well short of the minimum of 2.1 necessary to renew the population — and the Covid-19 pandemic. (As I observed in the Morning Jolt, back on July 9: “COVID-19 is particularly dangerous for those who are heavy smokers and heavy drinkers, who are more likely to have other comorbidities or health problems. Hey, it’s a good thing Russia doesn’t have a lot of those, huh?”)

Many outside observers have accused the Russian government of trying to downplay the severity of the pandemic by classifying Covid-19 deaths as pneumonia deaths. But no matter how Moscow wants to qualify it, a lot of Russians died last year…

None of these problems will be helped by the ongoing exodus of Russians who can emigrate; more than 200,000 Russians have reportedly crossed borders since the start of the invasion. Dissidents, elites, critics of Putin — anyone who prefers the West or fears what is coming is looking for any opportunity to get out. And while we don’t know exactly how many Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine — estimates range from 7,000 to 15,000 — it’s a lot for one month of fighting. Most of those 7,000 to 15,000 killed were young men who will not be returning home and starting families.

In addition to not-great life expectancy, Russia also has distressingly high rates of alcohol-related deaths, drug addiction, deadly accidents, violence, and suicides…