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The rouble is soaring and Putin is stronger than ever - our sanctions have backfired
The Guardian ^ | 29 Jul 2022 | Simon Jenkins

Posted on 07/30/2022 2:14:18 AM PDT by Mount Athos

Western sanctions against Russia are the most ill-conceived and counterproductive policy in recent international history.

World energy prices are rocketing, inflation is soaring, supply chains are chaotic and millions are being starved of gas, grain and fertiliser.

Defence analysts are dumb on the subject. Strategy thinktanks are silent. Yet, hint at scepticism on the subject and you will be excoriated as “pro-Putin” and anti-Ukraine.

The reality of sanctions on Russia is that they invite retaliation. Putin is free to freeze Europe this winter. He has slashed supply from major pipelines such as Nord Stream 1 by up to 80%. World oil prices have surged and eastern Europe’s flow of wheat and other foodstuffs to Africa and Asia has been all but suspended.

Britain’s domestic gas bills face tripling inside a year. The chief beneficiary is none other than Russia, whose energy exports to Asia have soared, driving its balance of payments into unprecedented surplus. The rouble is one of the world’s strongest currencies this year, having strengthened since January by nearly 50%.

Sanctions have promoted trade with China, Iran and India.

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: agitprop; economytankedthough; fakenews; lookwholovesguardian; ntsa; putinsbuttboys; putinworshippers; russia; russianaggression; simonjenkins; socialists; unitedkingdom; zot
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To: Mount Athos

It’s like the vax death scam. No one will admit the ‘safe and effective’ vax is really a death shot so they keep advertising to send your five-year-olds in for injections. The Maryland Health Department runs radio ads every day in the afternoon peddling free shots for kiddies, which makes me shout out to God to stop the genocide. It’s all smoke and mirrors these days with no one willing to face reality. Eventually, there will be a comeuppance time for all the deniers. With the Ukraine fiasco, it will be when the smart alecs start freezing their behinds off this winter. I have a wood pile out back that I may have to resort to for heat when I no longer can afford to pay my heating bill. Redundancy is the key to survival these days.


21 posted on 07/30/2022 5:27:39 AM PDT by iontheball
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To: BeauBo
Decent people cannot accept Russia’s savagery. They must be stopped, and it won’t be easy. But they must be stopped.

Yet another keyboard commando chortles, 'Lets you and him fight'.

22 posted on 07/30/2022 5:58:48 AM PDT by BlackbirdSST (Trump WON!!!)
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To: Mount Athos
The rouble is soaring and Putin is stronger than ever - our sanctions have backfired

The headline is effectively truthful, it is slightly more accurate to say that the Rouble has stabilized at a better value than before Sanctions were imposed.

Much of the article it's self is a list of the negative consequences to the US and the West of the Sanctions and the inconvenience to Russia in creating work-arounds.

The West has shot it's self in both feet.

23 posted on 07/30/2022 5:59:24 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (Celebrate Decivilization)
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To: BeauBo

Pardon me Beau, could you please stand up, we need to rearrange the Deck Chairs?


24 posted on 07/30/2022 6:03:32 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (Celebrate Decivilization)
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To: STJPII
Who could have imagined Biden would use this opportunity to destroy our domestic production

Everyone..Biden's been telegraphing this move since before the election...on day one he shut down the XL pipeline.

25 posted on 07/30/2022 6:14:41 AM PDT by mac_truck (aide toi et dieu t'aidera )
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To: Mount Athos

Drivel....... balderdascious drivel

Russia is being destroyed surreptitiously one isolated fire at a time.


26 posted on 07/30/2022 6:14:41 AM PDT by bert ( (KWE. NP. N.C. +12) Juneteenth is inequality day)
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To: Recompennation

Thanks for explaining the term. I thought a “Rouble” was a double that drove in a run.


27 posted on 07/30/2022 6:33:02 AM PDT by Bernard (“the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God." JFK 1-20-61)
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To: Mount Athos

Did the Russians change the definition of Death and Disaster ?


28 posted on 07/30/2022 7:01:16 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: bert

When are you going to stop posting this garbage?


29 posted on 07/30/2022 7:02:59 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
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To: Mount Athos

Seems to be much Russian propaganda on this site.


30 posted on 07/30/2022 7:05:04 AM PDT by kenmcg (tHE WHOLE )
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To: FroggyTheGremlim

It isn’t “mainstream media” it is “ministry media.”


31 posted on 07/30/2022 7:38:48 AM PDT by wildcard_redneck (Welcome to leftist Planet Lab Cage where are YOU are the rat)
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To: Mount Athos
The rouble is soaring and Putin is stronger than ever - our sanctions have backfired

What sanctions?

32 posted on 07/30/2022 7:39:02 AM PDT by Don Corleone (leave the gun, take the canolis)
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To: Mount Athos

They could have stopped Putin without financial sanctions, by merely announcing that the immediate membership of Ukraine into NATO would begin IF Putin invaded, demonstrating to Putin that he would be the cause of what he claims he was trying to prevent. He would then have known he would be starting a full Russia Vs NATO war.

Well, he may actually have that yet, after the EU has already weakened itself with its stupid sanctions. Instead of “staying strong” they just made themselves weaker.


33 posted on 07/30/2022 8:04:38 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: Mount Athos

Spring time for Putin and Russia
Winter for Deutschland and France


34 posted on 07/30/2022 8:05:21 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: SmokingJoe

Pay attention....... Strategic fires are afflicting various critical Russian facilities.

It’s not garbage


35 posted on 07/30/2022 8:20:44 AM PDT by bert ( (KWE. NP. N.C. +12) Juneteenth is inequality day)
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To: bert
You mean like all the fires affecting various US food production facilities?
Tucker did some segments on that.
36 posted on 07/30/2022 8:26:04 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
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To: Mount Athos

To say sanctions have backfired presupposes what they say can be taken at face value in the first place.


37 posted on 07/30/2022 9:01:05 AM PDT by Salman (It's not a "slippery slope" if it was part of the program all along. )
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To: Mount Athos

Actions have promoted trade with China, Iran and India.

Politicians: I’ll take door number three Monte


38 posted on 07/30/2022 9:48:30 AM PDT by Vaduz ( )
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To: BeauBo

“They must be stopped, and it won’t be easy. But they must be stopped.”

You just described my views on Democrats and the left.

Russia—couldn’t care less.


39 posted on 07/30/2022 9:50:34 AM PDT by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: Navy Patriot

“ it is slightly more accurate to say that the Rouble has stabilized at a better value than before”

Now that it is no longer a freely traded currency, it can enjoy strong and stable official exchange rates where the Government dictates - like the North Korean Won, and Cuban Peso. It is a Potemkin village.

Putin did that! He is a master strategist!

Automobile production in Russia has declined only about 97% this year (literally). Other categories of manufacturing are averaging a better than 50% decline. Aeroflot flights down 70%. Advertising and tourism were hit worse. Shopping malls in Russia are like ghost towns. Bankruptcies and unemployment are rising. Prices are up, and talent and investment is fleeing. The Government’s budget deficit is growing rapidly, and it has defaulted on bonds for the first time since 1917.

The real economy is tanking.

The ruble money supply has already expanded over 50% since the February invasion, dwarfing the American or European printing sprees during COVID.

The wheels are going to keep coming off in a thousand different ways, but a hard crash is coming when oil and gas revenues crash (likely sometime this Winter). Spot prices for gas will probably skyrocket for a while in Europe, but Russia won’t be getting those sales, only a portion of their former contracts. Volumes continue declining, and secondary sanctions/price caps on other customers (India and China) are on the way for oil December 5th) as soon as Europe cuts off its imports of Russian tanker loads. Prosecutors are expected to start making their cases in the first of the War crimes trials at The Hague toward the end of the year, reinforcing Russia/Putin’s pariah status.

It is going to be a once in a lifetime hard landing.

Putin did that!


40 posted on 07/30/2022 10:01:50 AM PDT by BeauBo
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