Sanctions on Russia

wiredseal7 said:Classic Iranian move.
I don't get why they call it "concerning"—it's the open ocean, they can do whatever they want.

Koreans pulled the plug on a deal for 3 LNG carriers for the Arkticki LNG-2 project:
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5367711
Supposedly because the money didn't arrive—which makes sense, given how the West blocked Russian finances. Looks like the Koreans were barely hanging on by a thread there.

The Russians are planning to build 15 of those ships themselves at the Zvezda shipyard, but who knows how long that'll take—given the Western embargo on shipbuilding tech and their lack of experience with LNG vessels.

Perhaps it's a bit of reputation laundering for blood oil that nobody actually wants to touch—not unlike the way people try to clean up the image of blood diamonds. At the end of the day, trying to sell us a bill of goods is just a straight-up scam.

Cost and whitewashing.

Russia is sinking deeper into a state of total untouchability, and I truly hope my colleagues are just as vocal about these things when they aren't hiding behind anonymous handles on a forum, so that their real-world peers know exactly who they're doing business with.

Because if they aren't, it would be pretty cowardly.

slyfox43 said:Perhaps it's a bit of reputation laundering for blood oil that nobody actually wants to touch—not unlike the way people try to clean up the image of blood diamonds. At the end of the day, trying to sell us a bill of goods is just a straight-up scam.

Cost and whitewashing.

Russia is sinking deeper into a state of total untouchability, and I truly hope my colleagues are just as vocal about these things when they aren't hiding behind anonymous handles on a forum, so that their real-world peers know exactly who they're doing business with.

Because if they aren't, it would be pretty cowardly.

The sanctions can't touch them because they're just selling their oil at a discount and drifting across the ocean like tiny-time smugglers. It’s pretty obvious they’re sweating over where to dump all that crude, and the global market isn't going to wait around for them. If the European Union embargo really hits hard, you can bet the seas will be absolutely crawling with full tankers.

steelfox98 said:Thirty years ago, a VCR cost 1,000 Deutsche Marks. Now, you pick up a Chinese TV box for 30 bucks.
Ask the Japanese how their sales looked back then versus now. It doesn't matter how good their tech is.

We are talking about a Chinese TV box that is packed with Western chips and processors and runs on Android.

goldenowl73 said:The sanctions can't touch them because they're just selling their oil at a discount and drifting across the ocean like tiny-time smugglers. It’s pretty obvious they’re sweating over where to dump all that crude, and the global market isn't going to wait around for them. If the European Union embargo really hits hard, you can bet the seas will be absolutely crawling with full tankers.

The most interesting part is that this isn't even about dodging sanctions—it's about dodging public opinion. I hope the OSINT community keeps dragging these laundering operations out into the light, making it a lot harder for unscrupulous manipulators to escape the fallout of their own schemes.

slyfox43 said:Perhaps it's a bit of reputation laundering for blood oil that nobody actually wants to touch—not unlike the way people try to clean up the image of blood diamonds. At the end of the day, trying to sell us a bill of goods is just a straight-up scam.

Cost and whitewashing.

Russia is sinking deeper into a state of total untouchability, and I truly hope my colleagues are just as vocal about these things when they aren't hiding behind anonymous handles on a forum, so that their real-world peers know exactly who they're doing business with.

Because if they aren't, it would be pretty cowardly.

That's a bit of a reach since we have no clue who the buyer is or if they're even avoiding Russian oil. Most of the world hasn't actually banned importing Russian oil, anyway.
It could easily be about payment methods, insurance, flag states, or just covering their tracks for later.

Quavo:

Russia is sinking deeper into this untouchable bubble—and honestly, I hope my colleagues are just as vocal about their views when they aren't hiding behind an anonymous forum handle, so people actually know who they're doing business with. Because if they aren't, it's pretty cowardly.

The reactions to posts on this sub give you a perfect answer as to why staying anonymous is better.

The official narrative in the European Union involves a mob mentality toward anyone with a different opinion—cancel culture, all that. In Latvia, they’ve even gone as far as locking up YouTubers on treason charges (and who knows who else).

Pretty soon, Ursula will probably start sanctioning anyone posting against the grain on Facebook or other "de-anonymized" internet havens. Anonymity rules, it's the best workaround against a culture of intimidation and censorship.

Anthony Hill5 said:We are talking about a Chinese TV box that is packed with Western chips and processors and runs on Android.

Exactly. Most of the time, they're just assembling parts—sometimes they design things themselves, but usually, they can't quite pull it off on their own. Aside from the early days with HarmonyOS, anyway.

wiredseal7 said:That's a bit of a reach since we have no clue who the buyer is or if they're even avoiding Russian oil. Most of the world hasn't actually banned importing Russian oil, anyway.
It could easily be about payment methods, insurance, flag states, or just covering their tracks for later.

Quavo:

Russia is sinking deeper into this untouchable bubble—and honestly, I hope my colleagues are just as vocal about their views when they aren't hiding behind an anonymous forum handle, so people actually know who they're doing business with. Because if they aren't, it's pretty cowardly.

The reactions to posts on this sub give you a perfect answer as to why staying anonymous is better.

The official narrative in the European Union involves a mob mentality toward anyone with a different opinion—cancel culture, all that. In Latvia, they’ve even gone as far as locking up YouTubers on treason charges (and who knows who else).

Pretty soon, Ursula will probably start sanctioning anyone posting against the grain on Facebook or other "de-anonymized" internet havens. Anonymity rules, it's the best workaround against a culture of intimidation and censorship.

Exactly, they dive into these little skirmishes just for the sport of it, rather than out of necessity. That isn't even a generalization; it’s pretty much self-evident. 🤣

The reactions to posts on this subforum provide a perfect illustration of why staying anonymous is the better way to go.

Between the official narratives in the European Union, the constant lynching of anyone with a different opinion, and the rise of cancel culture, it’s becoming impossible. In Latvia, they've even gone as far as arresting YouTubers and charging them with treason (along with God knows who else).

At this rate, Ursula von der Leyen will probably start sanctioning people just for posting dissenting views on Facebook or other de-anonymized internet "paradises." Anonymity rules, serving as the ultimate workaround against a culture of intimidation and censorship.

So, the best way to preserve a shred of integrity and avoid being a coward. I couldn't agree more.

Putin’s attempt at blackmail—demanding an end to economic sanctions in exchange for unblocking Black Sea ports—was rejected.
Russia needs to squeeze out just a little more profit under these sanctions.

rowdytiger13 said:Putin’s attempt at blackmail—demanding an end to economic sanctions in exchange for unblocking Black Sea ports—was rejected.
Russia needs to squeeze out just a little more profit under these sanctions.

Now comes the inevitable whining from the "neutral" crowd about how gas prices are going to skyrocket in $10.

3, 2, 1, ...

dustyowl29 said:Exactly. Most of the time, they're just assembling parts—sometimes they design things themselves, but usually, they can't quite pull it off on their own. Aside from the early days with HarmonyOS, anyway.

The Germans could probably build everything right there in Munich if they had the guts, but instead, you'll end up putting a second mortgage on your house just to afford the equipment. I'm talking about regular Americans, too—not the folks on this forum, because let’s be honest, everyone here is basically a billionaire. People are out there buying Chinese smartphones on 24-month installment plans. Just imagine if a Siemens phone was assembled using USEKUAUKUS parts... you'd be paying it off over 420 monthly installments! 😁

Nathan Evans78 said:The Germans could probably build everything right there in Munich if they had the guts, but instead, you'll end up putting a second mortgage on your house just to afford the equipment. I'm talking about regular Americans, too—not the folks on this forum, because let’s be honest, everyone here is basically a billionaire. People are out there buying Chinese smartphones on 24-month installment plans. Just imagine if a Siemens phone was assembled using USEKUAUKUS parts... you'd be paying it off over 420 monthly installments! 😁

Look, even small towns in the Midwest are basically sewing boots for the Chinese market because it's more cost-effective; it seems like plenty of other things can be manufactured within those European Union "banana republics" too...

What on earth do boots have to do with a smartphone packed with thousands of intricate components? Are they mining battery metals in some remote corner of the world just to make footwear? Or maybe they're cranking out OLED panels for designer boots in small-town Ohio? Give me a break. It’s common sense: without globalization, we wouldn't have affordable tech, plain and simple. The US imports hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods from China, yet our employment rates remain solid. Just imagine if we had to manufacture every single little thing ourselves—the southern US would turn into a new Mexico overnight due to the sheer wave of immigration needed to assemble everything. 🤣

Chinese people actually managed to hit the 7nm mark in semiconductor manufacturing—you can't just brush that off as easy. Meanwhile, Russia has reached 90nm this year, with a long-term goal of hitting 28nm by 2030.

On this forum, everyone always seems to be viewing China as being about 15 years behind where they actually are.

Nathan Evans78 said:What on earth do boots have to do with a smartphone packed with thousands of intricate components? Are they mining battery metals in some remote corner of the world just to make footwear? Or maybe they're cranking out OLED panels for designer boots in small-town Ohio? Give me a break. It’s common sense: without globalization, we wouldn't have affordable tech, plain and simple. The US imports hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods from China, yet our employment rates remain solid. Just imagine if we had to manufacture every single little thing ourselves—the southern US would turn into a new Mexico overnight due to the sheer wave of immigration needed to assemble everything. 🤣

Do you honestly believe a single Chinese person just sits down and assembles a phone with a thousand different parts by themselves?

And we're talking about a budget worker who was probably out working in the Midwest cornfields just a year ago!

I mean, seriously, how much time would it actually take them to put one single device together?

You've got things a little mixed up here...

silentnomad7 said:Do you honestly believe a single Chinese person just sits down and assembles a phone with a thousand different parts by themselves?

And we're talking about a budget worker who was probably out working in the Midwest cornfields just a year ago!

I mean, seriously, how much time would it actually take them to put one single device together?

You've got things a little mixed up here...

Why don't you just shoot an email over to Tim Cook? Explain to him that he can easily just fix up Pegatron and Foxconn and move the entire production line over to Digitron in a small town in Texas instead. Just go nuts. 🤣

rowdytiger13 said:Putin’s attempt at blackmail—demanding an end to economic sanctions in exchange for unblocking Black Sea ports—was rejected.
Russia needs to squeeze out just a little more profit under these sanctions.

They’ll likely need at least another 30 years of extra profits to feel satisfied!
Let's go!!!

rowdytiger13 said:Putin’s attempt at blackmail—demanding an end to economic sanctions in exchange for unblocking Black Sea ports—was rejected.
Russia needs to squeeze out just a little more profit under these sanctions.

The folks running the show in the European Union are honestly kind of a joke. They slap on these massive sanctions, acting like they've got the power of an atomic bomb, and then they have the nerve to whine when things don't go their way—expecting the other side to just play by some imaginary set of fair play rules and be stupid enough to let the whole thing blow back in their faces like a boomerang.

wiredseal7 said:That's a bit of a reach since we have no clue who the buyer is or if they're even avoiding Russian oil. Most of the world hasn't actually banned importing Russian oil, anyway.
It could easily be about payment methods, insurance, flag states, or just covering their tracks for later.

Quavo:

Russia is sinking deeper into this untouchable bubble—and honestly, I hope my colleagues are just as vocal about their views when they aren't hiding behind an anonymous forum handle, so people actually know who they're doing business with. Because if they aren't, it's pretty cowardly.

The reactions to posts on this sub give you a perfect answer as to why staying anonymous is better.

The official narrative in the European Union involves a mob mentality toward anyone with a different opinion—cancel culture, all that. In Latvia, they’ve even gone as far as locking up YouTubers on treason charges (and who knows who else).

Pretty soon, Ursula will probably start sanctioning anyone posting against the grain on Facebook or other "de-anonymized" internet havens. Anonymity rules, it's the best workaround against a culture of intimidation and censorship.

I find this surprising coming from someone who works for the government—a system where you're essentially only allowed to speak if you're praising the powers that be.
Anything else risks a prison cell, a bullet, or even nerve gas.

By the way, that YouTuber from Latvia is actually a Russian bot, Kirill Fedorov. He’s safe and sound back in Russia now, where he can vlog on Meta all he wants.
Oh, wait. I forgot. Meta is classified as an extremist organization and is actually banned in Russia.
Shit. What happens now?

George Robinson43 said:I find this surprising coming from someone who works for the government—a system where you're essentially only allowed to speak if you're praising the powers that be.
Anything else risks a prison cell, a bullet, or even nerve gas.

By the way, that YouTuber from Latvia is actually a Russian bot, Kirill Fedorov. He’s safe and sound back in Russia now, where he can vlog on Meta all he wants.
Oh, wait. I forgot. Meta is classified as an extremist organization and is actually banned in Russia.
Shit. What happens now?

For some people here, getting banned from the forum is worse than going to jail. At least in prison, you can still get online.

The dollar just took a massive hit, sliding from something like $1.20 down to maybe $1.10 in just forty-eight hours. That’s a pretty brutal drop for such a short window. You'd think after all the talk about how Russia managed to screw over the West—which supposedly would make our currency stronger than ever—we wouldn't be seeing this slide. So why is the value slipping again even with all these active measures in place? 🤔
It’s almost funny how those economic analysts who swore up and down that Russia could only hold their currency together for maybe three to six months are starting to look like they actually knew what they were talking about...