Putin’s on a road to nowhere with the Soviet-era Moskvich

But even if there was some logic to reviving a car that was confined to the dustbin of history long ago, the practical hurdles render the project an absolute non-starter.

First, there’s the capital needed to essentially create a new car brand from scratch. A project of this nature would cost billions, in a country heading for financial ruin.

Secondly, importing the components and materials required would be next to impossible given the collapse in trade between Russia’s pariah regime and the rest of the world.

One of the primary reasons that Renault and other manufacturers either halted production or pulled out altogether is because it became increasingly difficult to import the necessary parts. Chief executive Luca de Meo told the Financial Times that the company was “forced to decide” because it was no longer able to build cars in the country.

It shows the regime is fast running out of ideas, friends and, perhaps most crucially, time to prevent a shortage of basic goods and products that the Russian people take for granted.

In many ways Russia is more excluded from the international system than it was under Communist rule. At least the USSR was still able to trade with the rest of the Eastern Bloc. Yet Putin is already so isolated that he is being forced to try to revive the disastrous economic planning of the Soviet era.

Sooner or later, ordinary Russians are going to realise their quality of life is diminishing, no matter how much propaganda is shoved down their throats. It will be a turning point in Putin’s grip on power.