Politicians across the West vowed, amidst a wave of sanctions for Russian state officials, companies and oligarchs, that Moscow’s economy would be stifled. And yet, Russia’s GDP growth has surpassed both the EU and the US for the second consecutive year. A conflict which has enormous geopolitical consequences, a burden of incalculable human, industrial, agricultural and energy losses for some, is seemingly also providing an economic boom that is injecting optimism and richness across Russia, particularly among Russia's “rustbelt”.