Russia's economy is in steep decline, and the financial strain on the Kremlin is beginning to spread to the country's regions, cities and people. Many of Russia's regions are already on the verge of default. As the pressure continues to build at the regional level, the country's municipal governments and citizens will find themselves increasingly strapped for cash. With little hope of economic recovery in the near future, the Kremlin is taking steps to quash any threat of regional defiance or mass protests against its leadership. As its attention shifts inward over the next few years, the Kremlin's capacity to assert itself abroad will diminish. Russia's Mono-Cities Are Struggling Russia's mono-cities, or single-industry towns, are beginning to feel the weight of the heavy financial burden bearing down on regional governments. There are 319 mono-cities that together house 14 million Russians (roughly 10 percent of the country's entire population).