Russia provided NK with the technology and expertise to build their first nuclear reactors in the 1950's, and the relationship has been on-going since then

That is of utmost surprise to me, and it's terrible. We don't see anything about it on the news - not a single word.

Russia is a puzzlement because they are the last shining example of people who can get things into space, reliably, regularly, and for a reasonable price.

What about the US? The country won the space race - wouldn't they still be a shining example of space travel and engineering?

Why is it that a country that has such a reliable and effective space program cannot create a basic car?

That is a good non-rhetorical question, as well. My uneducated theory is that the USSR has put so much effort into overcoming the US in the space race that all of the engineering efforts were put into it, which may have left other industries weakened. Now that space travel is almost the only thing Russia excels at, people don't want to let go of it to not lose face even more. Our car manufacturing is basically an artifact from the USSR and hasn't been improved upon much since.

But I think there is nothing here to be depressed by.

It's depressing to realize in just how big of a pit the country's in, but - I see your point. There's great potential here, certainly, and we better start working on it if we want our country to regain it's superpower status. My small contribution is making our faculty - the Foreign Languages - let us pick any language to learn as our second foreign (right now, the choice is assigned to the whole group, and there's a definite schism among the groups that have to pick). Hopefully, I will succeed and we shall enjoy the benefits of free will in a university still led by the Soviet-minded people. If not, there will be a small rebellion: let us remind them of the point of higher education.

You clearly have the technical prowess to keep up with anybody.

Why do you say that? The Soviet Union lost the Cold War exactly because it didn't have the technology to keep up with the West.

Russia sabotaging itself with self-defeating exceptionalism

Can you elaborate on that?

Again, thank you for sharing. Your point of view is invaluable in understanding Russia.