Quite right TB. The Ruble is not traded much because it has virtually no value. It's economic character in Russia (and the former Soviet Union) is and was almost impossible to measure. In modern times (including today), the US military budget has exceeded a number of large nations' combined military budgets.

You're also right TB about those factors that led to the USSR's downfall. I'm glad you exposed the myth that US military spending led to the USSR's downfall. The USSR's failed attempt to take over Afghanistan made a gigantic contribution to that Nation's downfall although that effort is almost never stated as a factor. It used up considerable Soviet resources and exposed the unproductive Breshnev and Kosygin domestic and foreign policies. Also, don't forget Yuri Andropov who in the early 80s started the USSR on the path that Gorbachev followed.