So you’re saying that it’s cheaper for Russia to import from China than keeping production inside? How is that supposed to work?
Jesus Christ… Russia is a big country. Mines and mills are expensive and undesirable to live by so they don’t build them everywhere unless it’s necessary. Ore deposits are not spread evenly throughout countries, nor are mills. Unfinished products are not very economical to ship long distances. So Russia could have all the (for example) steel production capacity in the world, but if its capacity is mostly in Western Russia and you have a factory in Eastern Russia right across the border from a Chinese steel mill, it’s probably cheaper to import than buy domestically.
That was in a day and age where people still had children, and it’s no wonder it exploded it was pretty much at zero during Tsar times.
People have kids today you doofus, and not only running production capacity but building it all while fighting a war is an even greater indication of their labor availability than if they had started with a strong industrial base.