It’s actually advanced chip production. They can’t buy them because those chips are also really good for weapons. And making them requires tech they don’t have. (But will at some point)

I think stats show that Russians are less drunk generally than Scandinavians (not a very surprising statement admittedly) and Baltic people and even Armenians and Georgians. And than Irish (again no surprise I suppose).

What Russians are, according to stats, is people who have tea too often. And I don’t think that had a negative effect on the British Empire, but then UK might be more drunk generally than Russia.

So perhaps being drunk is, in some unknown way, a civilization-level advantage.