Russia is in a race against time. U.S. and multilateral sanctions are working, and the Russian economy is on the verge of collapse. At best, its economy is equal to that of Italy, but with a population that's more than double. While Trump often characterizes Putin as strong, Russian society is anything but. There's little reason to believe that the money freed up by lifting sanctions would be used for anything other than the expansion of the Russian military and other "active measures" directed at the U.S. and its allies. However, just this week, President Trump eased sanctions on Russia's principal intelligence agency, the FSB — a move that instantly received praise from Russian officials.