I absolutely agree with you on the impossibility to win by Russia, unlike most people nowadays. Like the ones who are sure Russia will win the instant Trump gets to office. Not even close to military complex and diplomacy realities.
About recovering economy, history proves the loser always loses big. Russia would never recover from war reparations + sanctions, unless it completely became a Nato satellite state, like Germany and Japan did after WWII. Of course we all know that will never happen with Russia.
Just to remember the only State in history to pay full war reparations is Finland and they did no big destruction.
As a non american I’m curious about these events. I see it as a fact the war ended slavery, but isn’t anyone bothered about the winning heroes having used slaves themselves their whole life up until then? More than heroes I see them as ‘‘I’m not bad anymore’’ and demonizing their foes as a very hipocrite act.
If I was dealing drugs my whole life I wouldn’t raise my voice too high to condemn other dealers just because I recently quit myself, although seems like for some works pretty well.