Sanctions on Russia

#kocar# said:
She even cooked up this whole scheme about paying in rubles and those other Russian financial scams, you know, the kind where they pull the wool over the eyes of all those PhDs and top-tier global finance experts.

Oh yeah, absolutely, since they're doing such a stellar job, why don't we all just ditch the dollar and switch over to rubles right now?

We were all promised that breaking up their supply lines would completely cripple the Russian war machine and bruise those little tyrants' egos, but look at where we actually are:

Quinn:

Zelensky mentioned back on June 1st that they were seeing 60 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers killed every single day during those spikes when Russia ramps up its offensive in Ukraine. According to David Akerman—who’s one of Zelensky’s closest advisors and a key figure in the negotiations with Russia—those numbers have shot up even higher over the last two weeks.

The truth is, Americans can't just sit around waiting for sanctions to finally kick in sometime in 2025; they need real military support on the ground right now!

urbanotter said:I’ve been hearing some chatter lately regarding the head of the Russian central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, and there are rumors floating around that Putin is paying her an absolutely astronomical salary—something in the neighborhood of 700,000 euros. It makes you wonder about the sheer scale of those kinds of figures when you think about the disconnect between official reports and what actually happens behind closed doors in the Kremlin.
It’s honestly almost impressive how she carries herself like some kind of financial mastermind, coming up with these elaborate schemes to pay in rubles and other various Russian financial scams. It really is quite something to watch her try to play games with PhD holders and top-tier global financial experts who actually know what they're doing.

I was reading up on Elvira Nabiullina today, and it really got me thinking about the immense weight placed on the shoulders of a central bank leader during times of such extreme global instability. It’s one thing to manage interest rates and inflation during steady economic growth, but it’s an entirely different beast when you’re tasked with navigating the fallout from massive geopolitical shifts and intense international sanctions. She has certainly become a central figure in how the economy responds to the ongoing tensions involving Russia and the West. You look at her career trajectory and see someone who has had to make incredibly difficult, high-stakes decisions that impact everything from daily consumer prices to the long-term stability of the national currency. It reminds me of those periods in American history where the Federal Reserve has had to step in to prevent total market panic—there's a certain lonely gravity to that kind of responsibility. I often wonder if leaders in her position ever get a moment to just breathe, or if they are constantly playing a high-speed game of chess against shifting global forces.

There’s this persistent idea floating around the Russian media that the head of their central bank uses the pins on her lapel at public events to drop subtle hints about the state of the economy or the regulators' next moves. It's almost like a secret language for those paying close attention. Back in 2020, I remember reading how Elvira Nabiullina would show up to press conferences wearing pins featuring blue waves, dots, or even little glasses—all seemingly coded messages. Then, in March 2021, right when they announced the first interest rate hike in three years, she made an appearance sporting a hawk pin. It makes you wonder how much of it is intentional signaling and how much is just fashion, but in a landscape driven by Kremlin propaganda, people are always looking for those hidden patterns.

Honestly, she’s acting exactly like Jaca. 🙏🙏

p.s.
Honestly, no matter where you try to run or how hard you attempt to dodge the consequences, there is just no escaping these sanctions. It feels inevitable, like being stuck face-down in the mud right along the waterfront promenade in a city like San Francisco. There's simply no way to avoid the mess this is going to create.

That same Janet Yellen actually tried to resign right after Putin got hit with these sanctions, but he refused to let her go. He literally wouldn't allow her to step down in that moment and instead just extended her term.
After that, she cooked up the whole ruble payment scheme and all those little maneuvers; when she gave the announcement, she was dressed entirely in black, so even the Russian media noted she looked like she was attending a funeral.
Sure, she's a brilliant woman who knows how to manipulate exchange rates in the short term, but in the long run, it's all just smoke and mirrors.

gentlerider7 said:Oh yeah, absolutely, since they're doing such a stellar job, why don't we all just ditch the dollar and switch over to rubles right now?

Hey, nobody is stopping you from doing that.☕

silentnomad7 said:That old nostalgia for the former regime still grips at least 10% of the population here in America, especially those over 60 or 70. To them, Putin is almost like a savior who might restore the social order that was stripped away from them thirty years ago. That’s why they defend him so fiercely. You would think that by the time someone reaches their 60s, they’d have gained enough wisdom to condemn war and suffering, but that nostalgia acts like such a potent drug that it overrides everything else... So, in the end, they don't see a problem with relativizing or making excuses for war crimes, because it all feels so far away, doesn't it? It isn't happening to anyone they actually know. To them, it’s just statistics, while the memory of the old unified state is still so vivid in their minds...

Just take a look at the forums dedicated to the old regime; you will see endless whining from Russian bots who have been mourning that defunct entity for years.
It is the exact same crowd currently complaining about inflation by claiming everything was perfect back in the eighties. 😉
And yes, I completely agree with you—it is crystal clear why that demographic in assisted living facilities supports Putin.

rowdytiger13 said:That same Janet Yellen actually tried to resign right after Putin got hit with these sanctions, but he refused to let her go. He literally wouldn't allow her to step down in that moment and instead just extended her term.
After that, she cooked up the whole ruble payment scheme and all those little maneuvers; when she gave the announcement, she was dressed entirely in black, so even the Russian media noted she looked like she was attending a funeral.
Sure, she's a brilliant woman who knows how to manipulate exchange rates in the short term, but in the long run, it's all just smoke and mirrors.

Well, if you say so, I guess it's settled.
Give it a few more days and the ruble will probably hit rock bottom.

p.s.

Just don't go mentioning what kind of tie you're wearing.🤔

The American dinar was basically an artificial construct...
And honestly, the kuna is following the exact same path.
The real question is who you’re actually trading with—because if you're just trading with yourself, sure, fine...
But nobody else is going to touch it. In the long run, you're just stuck being dependent on foreign currencies, much like how the dinar was tied to the Deutsche Mark, or how the kuna is tethered to the Euro today.

urbanotter said:It feels like my crystal ball gave me a fair warning about what was coming in my later years, so I took some cash and put it into "hard currency" at the bank, just so I'd have a cushion to pay for my coffee and my tech gear when things got tough.

Though, if I'm being honest, I feel like I've lost about $10,000 in purchasing power with that "hard currency."
Luckily, I picked up some "gold bullion"; people say the price is trending upward.
My daughter used a bit of credit and some savings to buy a new apartment, arguing that, much like back in the old days, the safest bet is always bricks and mortar.
My son and I are also prepping, just hoping he can finish one more stint at work and pull in a few extra thousand dollars.

In a way, I'm starting to feel better about everything; it feels like the old ways are returning, and I've somehow become an even bigger fool than I was back in the old country.

I agree. Since I’m still capable of working, I need to set something aside for the inevitable approach of old age. Hoping that the Department of Employment will provide a decent pension is like hoping Putin will suddenly realize his own stupidity and withdraw from Ukraine tomorrow. Personally, I wouldn't keep my hard-earned savings in a bank. When you put money in a bank, it isn't really yours anymore—it belongs to them. They decide if, when, and under what conditions they actually pay you back. You're essentially living at their mercy. That’s why investing in real estate, land, gold, or silver—something tangible—is a smarter move than simply gifting your wealth to a bank. But that's a conversation for another time...

dustyowl29 said:The American dinar was basically an artificial construct...
And honestly, the kuna is following the exact same path.
The real question is who you’re actually trading with—because if you're just trading with yourself, sure, fine...
But nobody else is going to touch it. In the long run, you're just stuck being dependent on foreign currencies, much like how the dinar was tied to the Deutsche Mark, or how the kuna is tethered to the Euro today.

Whether it's paper money or some digital ledger, a currency is nothing more than a promise. And we all know promises can be broken. A keen observer of human nature—and by extension, the mechanics of fiat currency—J. P. Morgan noted over a century ago that gold is the only true money. Nothing more.

Nancy Gomez26 said:I agree. Since I’m still capable of working, I need to set something aside for the inevitable approach of old age. Hoping that the Department of Employment will provide a decent pension is like hoping Putin will suddenly realize his own stupidity and withdraw from Ukraine tomorrow. Personally, I wouldn't keep my hard-earned savings in a bank. When you put money in a bank, it isn't really yours anymore—it belongs to them. They decide if, when, and under what conditions they actually pay you back. You're essentially living at their mercy. That’s why investing in real estate, land, gold, or silver—something tangible—is a smarter move than simply gifting your wealth to a bank. But that's a conversation for another time...

And that is exactly what we are doing.

I actually managed to pick up a little something on those yellow tiles

But you can't turn everything into bricks and mortar; it gets a bit awkward when you're just trying to grab a gallon of oil or fill up your tank and you find yourself lugging around heavy construction materials instead.

Oh well, if you're hauling bricks in your wallet and carrying oil home, you might as well get a double workout out of it.

😁

And as the saying goes, "Cheers to the sanctions."

The one thing I am truly looking forward to, just to make life a little easier, is when Krule and the new Liver
can finally give us some clarity so I don't have to constantly wonder about the casualty counts—how many Russians died versus Ukrainians, and how many civilians, women, and children were lost.🤣🤣

Because I can't keep watching Severina and 🙂

urbanotter said:And that is exactly what we are doing.

I actually managed to pick up a little something on those yellow tiles

But you can't turn everything into bricks and mortar; it gets a bit awkward when you're just trying to grab a gallon of oil or fill up your tank and you find yourself lugging around heavy construction materials instead.

Oh well, if you're hauling bricks in your wallet and carrying oil home, you might as well get a double workout out of it.

😁

And as the saying goes, "Cheers to the sanctions."

The one thing I am truly looking forward to, just to make life a little easier, is when Krule and the new Liver
can finally give us some clarity so I don't have to constantly wonder about the casualty counts—how many Russians died versus Ukrainians, and how many civilians, women, and children were lost.🤣🤣

Because I can't keep watching Severina and 🙂

Just a year ago, you were all shouting about how mandatory experimental COVID vaccines for kids were the only way to go, but now here come the new waves and winter is right around the corner... so maybe you'll want to revisit that topic again soon, eh?

urbanotter said:And that is exactly what we are doing.

I actually managed to pick up a little something on those yellow tiles

But you can't turn everything into bricks and mortar; it gets a bit awkward when you're just trying to grab a gallon of oil or fill up your tank and you find yourself lugging around heavy construction materials instead.

Oh well, if you're hauling bricks in your wallet and carrying oil home, you might as well get a double workout out of it.

😁

And as the saying goes, "Cheers to the sanctions."

The one thing I am truly looking forward to, just to make life a little easier, is when Krule and the new Liver
can finally give us some clarity so I don't have to constantly wonder about the casualty counts—how many Russians died versus Ukrainians, and how many civilians, women, and children were lost.🤣🤣

Because I can't keep watching Severina and 🙂

Let's not kid ourselves thinking we gained anything from those yellow tiles. Perhaps we simply preserved the labor that went into them, and in this day and age, that counts for something—preserving what was already built within realistic bounds.
Sanctions aren't the cause of the crisis (or maybe they account for 5%, if you listen to some guy on another thread). The foundations of this crisis were laid long ago; today, we are simply receiving the bill.

bluerider63 said:We don't even need to bring Hitler into this; it's enough to point out how Putin probably watched those American interventions—which were really just invasions of sovereign nations—and saw how effectively they worked, so he decided to play Uncle Sam himself. He learned just how expendable lives can be, especially over in places like Iraq, when you're hellbent on hitting a specific target.

Spot on. Putin and Dick Cheney are cut from the exact same cloth—both belong in handcuffs.

The thing is, nobody's out here defending Dick Cheney, yet Putin seems to have a whole fleet of lawyers ready to go. Though, honestly, calling them fans might be more accurate.

silentnomad7 said:Just a year ago, you were all shouting about how mandatory experimental COVID vaccines for kids were the only way to go, but now here come the new waves and winter is right around the corner... so maybe you'll want to revisit that topic again soon, eh?

I still have faith in the experts,

though I honestly can't see how any of that connects to this discussion regarding sanctions against Russia and

unless you're just trolling at this point, which seems to be your only move left.🕺

p.s.

They say taking a walk out in nature is incredibly healthy and helps clear your head.

Nancy Gomez26 said:Let's not kid ourselves thinking we gained anything from those yellow tiles. Perhaps we simply preserved the labor that went into them, and in this day and age, that counts for something—preserving what was already built within realistic bounds.
Sanctions aren't the cause of the crisis (or maybe they account for 5%, if you listen to some guy on another thread). The foundations of this crisis were laid long ago; today, we are simply receiving the bill.

I wasn't even looking to make a profit on what I had in my account,

it’s just that I’ve lost an enormous amount recently, and when the time comes that I actually need that money, it’ll feel like nothing more than pocket change.

By holding onto those gold bars I bought about ten months ago, I’ve managed to maintain my purchasing power, and I might have even come out slightly ahead.

As for saying sanctions have nothing to do with inflation, you can tell that to someone else. From what I can see, you're more familiar with rural life, so why not ask any local farmer how much the price of fertilizer and off-road diesel has spiked in the last year since this whole circus began?
Prices haven't climbed simply because costs went up—we are still working through the inventory from last year's harvest.
Instead, prices were jacked up by middlemen who are anticipating rising costs and the impact of "sanctions," which, honestly, seem to have hit the ones imposing them harder than the ones they were targeted at.

The pandemic has a minimal effect on inflation now, and since things have mostly settled, one would expect prices to drop rather than climb.

I truly don't understand how people can miss something so blatantly obvious that even someone with terrible eyesight could spot it.

Some bridges fall down, sure, but that's why new ones are being built and opened.

Last Friday, Beijing and Moscow celebrated yet another "new connection," as state media from both sides dubbed the first road bridge spanning the Amur River.

Maybe this doesn't worry many people, or perhaps it means nothing to them, but I know I'm not one of them.

urbanotter said:I wasn't even looking to make a profit on what I had in my account,

it’s just that I’ve lost an enormous amount recently, and when the time comes that I actually need that money, it’ll feel like nothing more than pocket change.

By holding onto those gold bars I bought about ten months ago, I’ve managed to maintain my purchasing power, and I might have even come out slightly ahead.

As for saying sanctions have nothing to do with inflation, you can tell that to someone else. From what I can see, you're more familiar with rural life, so why not ask any local farmer how much the price of fertilizer and off-road diesel has spiked in the last year since this whole circus began?
Prices haven't climbed simply because costs went up—we are still working through the inventory from last year's harvest.
Instead, prices were jacked up by middlemen who are anticipating rising costs and the impact of "sanctions," which, honestly, seem to have hit the ones imposing them harder than the ones they were targeted at.

The pandemic has a minimal effect on inflation now, and since things have mostly settled, one would expect prices to drop rather than climb.

I truly don't understand how people can miss something so blatantly obvious that even someone with terrible eyesight could spot it.

Some bridges fall down, sure, but that's why new ones are being built and opened.

Last Friday, Beijing and Moscow celebrated yet another "new connection," as state media from both sides dubbed the first road bridge spanning the Amur River.

Maybe this doesn't worry many people, or perhaps it means nothing to them, but I know I'm not one of them.

I know exactly what I was paying for fertilizer four, three, or two years ago compared to what I'm paying today. But the biggest spike in fertilizer prices happened long before sanctions were ever introduced, so blaming this on sanctions feels like a massive stretch. Maybe someone had a crystal ball and saw it all coming. Sanctions certainly didn't help bring prices down, but they definitely weren't the primary driver for such a massive surge (especially that pre-war, pre-sanction jump). On the other hand—let's be honest—wheat prices rose simultaneously, so the math for production remains relatively stable. In my neck of the woods, corn is planted wherever there's an inch of soil left, because people are betting on demand this fall. If it weren't profitable, they wouldn't bother, but eventually, the hammer will fall—so we'll see how things pan out by autumn. What strikes me is the relatively small increase in grocery store prices compared to the surge in corn prices. Corn is a fundamental input for meat production; if it climbs 300% in two or three years, you'd expect meat prices to follow suit.

The pandemic and the government's response to it have a significant impact on inflation. We are essentially paying the bill for the pandemic right now, along with all the extra costs it triggered. It's all the price of that Chinese virus from Wuhan. On the flip side, the government's reaction also carries a price tag. Even the biggest vaccine proponents are starting to realize that maybe ordering 20 million doses wasn't necessary, and now they're back at the negotiating table with manufacturers to try and scale back. I'm just curious about the penalty clauses in those contracts for canceling orders; I hope they aren't more expensive than the cost of actually producing the doses.

urbanotter said:And that is exactly what we are doing.

I actually managed to pick up a little something on those yellow tiles

But you can't turn everything into bricks and mortar; it gets a bit awkward when you're just trying to grab a gallon of oil or fill up your tank and you find yourself lugging around heavy construction materials instead.

Oh well, if you're hauling bricks in your wallet and carrying oil home, you might as well get a double workout out of it.

😁

And as the saying goes, "Cheers to the sanctions."

The one thing I am truly looking forward to, just to make life a little easier, is when Krule and the new Liver
can finally give us some clarity so I don't have to constantly wonder about the casualty counts—how many Russians died versus Ukrainians, and how many civilians, women, and children were lost.🤣🤣

Because I can't keep watching Severina and 🙂

If some serious cash would just fall from the sky into my hands—or if, like a total Putin fan, I ended up having to grind away in the West I supposedly hate—I'd convert most of my savings into gold
Investing solely in bricks and mortar is more of a psychological condition among Americans than an actual sign of financial literacy
I'm not saying that way of saving money is necessarily bad, but it's definitely not the "golden goose" that Americans love to pretend it is

darkdriver said:If some serious cash would just fall from the sky into my hands—or if, like a total Putin fan, I ended up having to grind away in the West I supposedly hate—I'd convert most of my savings into gold
Investing solely in bricks and mortar is more of a psychological condition among Americans than an actual sign of financial literacy
I'm not saying that way of saving money is necessarily bad, but it's definitely not the "golden goose" that Americans love to pretend it is

History has taught people here how to survive. Real estate is far from the peak of investment strategies, yet it remains vastly superior to holding onto various currencies that seem to have no master. I suspect many here still remember what inflation can do to a nation; that memory has faded somewhat in the West, where many might find themselves caught off guard. Even back when we dealt with the volatility of the dollar, it was relatively straightforward to pivot toward something stable like the Deutsche Mark to preserve value. The issue today is that there is no modern equivalent to the DM, which forces one to look elsewhere for alternatives.

Well, this is a bit of a mess...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Vice President is ramping up an urgent plea for Americans to start cutting back on their energy consumption following the news that ExxonMobil announced significant cuts in natural gas deliveries through a key pipeline.

On Tuesday, state-owned ExxonMobil announced they were slashing gas flows through the undersea Nord Stream 1 pipeline by 40%, and then just twenty-four hours later, they dropped even more bad news about further cuts that bring the total reduction to roughly 60%...

rowdyraven112 said:I’ve got a problem with people who respect psychopaths leading nations, and just as much with those who respect puppets at the top of their own countries taking orders from outsiders. ☕

How am I even supposed to phrase "Russia invaded Ukraine"? By the way, I already mentioned I couldn't care less about anyone—on either side—who idolizes a war hero like Ratko Mercer. Let them fight.

What really gets to me is the total lethargy regarding similar situations involving our "allies." These kinds of things are allowed, but this isn't. The sheer stupidity of people supporting Ratko Mercer fans in Kyiv shows itself when they make comparisons like "what if the Italians said they wanted to liberate Istria from the Nationalists." Sure, let's say Canadians instead, since they used to blackmail us. ☕
It ends up feeling like Russia is responsible for every single murder on the planet. I guess Russia is also to blame for that school shooting in Texas. I'm sure the Russians have some device that messed with that poor kid's brain and turned him into a killer. ☕
God, here we go again with the whataboutism. ☕

You are absolutely spot on. It's that heavy-handed whataboutism about a corrupt, sold-out West that supposedly bullies and suppresses "us," the enlightened and proud... Putin is indeed to blame... BUT...
Since you've clearly recognized your own mistake, I truly don't understand why you persist in repeating it... then again, I don't have to.
Best,