Sanctions on Russia

hollowdriver13 said:He poisoned himself. 🙏🙏🙏

We've officially reached a whole new level of brainwashed coping.

It’s entirely possible that Putin actually went through all that effort to poison him personally.

Personally, my gut feeling is that it was probably just Peter from Mrduša or maybe Mike from Mrduša getting a little too carried away.

Good grief, my crystal ball is working overtime today; I really ought to start checking it more often.

Honestly, instead of everyone around the globe losing sleep over his medical charts, someone should probably just focus on figuring out what's actually wrong with Vladimir Vladimirovich.🙏🙏

urbanotter said:It’s entirely possible that Putin actually went through all that effort to poison him personally.

Personally, my gut feeling is that it was probably just Peter from Mrduša or maybe Mike from Mrduša getting a little too carried away.

Good grief, my crystal ball is working overtime today; I really ought to start checking it more often.

Honestly, instead of everyone around the globe losing sleep over his medical charts, someone should probably just focus on figuring out what's actually wrong with Vladimir Vladimirovich.🙏🙏

So you're going to play dumb and ignore the fact that at least ten of Putin's "enemies" have been poisoned?

At the same time, you talk trash about the "unfree West," where people can write whatever they want without fearing for their lives. Well, here you are, spewing Kremlin propaganda right here, which suggests you don't feel threatened. You aren't worried that the US government will throw you in prison for fifteen years because you aren't following the party line. You don't watch what you drink, and you aren't afraid of crossing the line. If you were in Russia spreading Western propaganda so openly, you'd know you wouldn't stay free for long...

Go ahead, send me a link to a Russian forum where I can show up and say whatever I want. It's a democracy, after all—shouldn't be that hard? It doesn't have to be a forum; any group or social media platform that isn't under total state control would do...

Jack Hill2 said:So you're going to play dumb and ignore the fact that at least ten of Putin's "enemies" have been poisoned?

At the same time, you talk trash about the "unfree West," where people can write whatever they want without fearing for their lives. Well, here you are, spewing Kremlin propaganda right here, which suggests you don't feel threatened. You aren't worried that the US government will throw you in prison for fifteen years because you aren't following the party line. You don't watch what you drink, and you aren't afraid of crossing the line. If you were in Russia spreading Western propaganda so openly, you'd know you wouldn't stay free for long...

Go ahead, send me a link to a Russian forum where I can show up and say whatever I want. It's a democracy, after all—shouldn't be that hard? It doesn't have to be a forum; any group or social media platform that isn't under total state control would do...

Just imagine if a populist movement took over the US government, funded by, say, Russian banks—which slice of American society would end up profiting?

Jack Hill2 said:So you're going to play dumb and ignore the fact that at least ten of Putin's "enemies" have been poisoned?

At the same time, you talk trash about the "unfree West," where people can write whatever they want without fearing for their lives. Well, here you are, spewing Kremlin propaganda right here, which suggests you don't feel threatened. You aren't worried that the US government will throw you in prison for fifteen years because you aren't following the party line. You don't watch what you drink, and you aren't afraid of crossing the line. If you were in Russia spreading Western propaganda so openly, you'd know you wouldn't stay free for long...

Go ahead, send me a link to a Russian forum where I can show up and say whatever I want. It's a democracy, after all—shouldn't be that hard? It doesn't have to be a forum; any group or social media platform that isn't under total state control would do...

I stated quite clearly that I don't give weight to unproven beliefs or someone else's version of the truth; instead, when someone is being accused, I look for verifiable and provable facts.
That was essentially everything I said, yet all I get in return is an ad hominem attack claiming I’m playing dumb, acting blind, or talking nonsense about the free West. You're ignoring my point regarding the power of the media to spread demagoguery and manipulate public opinion.
All your arguments about Russian prisons, the terrifying censorship of Putin's regime, and so on, are just your personal opinions. You aren't providing any verifiable evidence; you're just launching ad hominem attacks.
I keep warning, repeatedly, that our topic is Russia sanctions, and we should stick to debating things that actually pertain to that subject.

p.s.
Of course, I participate in other social networks and occasionally leave comments on news articles,
but I've noticed that truly uncensored media doesn't really exist. You might find a place where you can express your views a little more freely without being sanctioned or kicked off immediately,
but this forum isn't any different from the rest, and you often get sanctioned without anyone even explaining why or telling you which rules you supposedly broke.
There used to be a custom on this forum where you would actually receive an explanation in a private message as to why you were being penalized.
One rule here is that you aren't allowed to argue with a moderator about a penalty; there's a specific corner for banned users, but even there, you rarely get an explanation.
I might even get sanctioned for saying this, since I'm veering off-topic and breaking the forum rules, which are posted on every thread—though if you try to follow them, the moderator always gets the last word.
So, that's my take on freedom of speech and the media. Because of that, we should keep this discussion strictly focused on Russia sanctions within a respectful dialogue, without the trolling (and I know how broad that term can be).

Transit for sanctioned goods headed to the Kaliningrad region has been totally blocked off by rail. Honestly, I’m not even surprised that Putin was out there yesterday throwing a massive tantrum about the sanctions—it's such a classic move, right? He tries to twist the narrative to make it look like he's actually worried about the poor European Union getting squeezed, when in reality, he's just trying to hide how Russia is actually using these sanctions to toughen up. It was honestly kind of hilarious; even his high-profile guest from the Taliban looked like he was nodding off while he was busy spinning those lies.

Lithuania has shut down rail transit for sanctioned goods moving from other parts of Russia up to the Kaliningrad region.

The European Union has slapped a ban on up to 50% of cargo, covering everything from construction supplies and metals to other essential goods being moved by rail.

��Governor of Kaliningrad region Anton Alikhanov https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/...hiVgsE6MMxxKQg

goldenowl73 said:Transit for sanctioned goods headed to the Kaliningrad region has been totally blocked off by rail. Honestly, I’m not even surprised that Putin was out there yesterday throwing a massive tantrum about the sanctions—it's such a classic move, right? He tries to twist the narrative to make it look like he's actually worried about the poor European Union getting squeezed, when in reality, he's just trying to hide how Russia is actually using these sanctions to toughen up. It was honestly kind of hilarious; even his high-profile guest from the Taliban looked like he was nodding off while he was busy spinning those lies.

Lithuania has shut down rail transit for sanctioned goods moving from other parts of Russia up to the Kaliningrad region.

The European Union has slapped a ban on up to 50% of cargo, covering everything from construction supplies and metals to other essential goods being moved by rail.

��Governor of Kaliningrad region Anton Alikhanov https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/...hiVgsE6MMxxKQg

I honestly don't see why he would need to lie when you seem to be the one doing all the fabricating.

I truly believe that Lithuania has indeed blocked the rail transit of goods subject to sanctions moving toward the Kaliningrad region.

But Putin isn't twisting the truth or lying the way you are; if you look at the data, Russia saw a massive surge in energy export revenues during the first 100 days of the conflict, and GDP figures are a much more reliable metric than whatever random nonsense is being posted on Twitter.

Russia earned massive profits from oil and gas during the first 100 days of the war.

https://seebiz.eu/energetika/rusija-...na-rata/277181

It’s honestly quite sad to watch how some people refuse to face the facts, preferring instead to live in their own delusions, constantly leaning on falsehoods and twisting every situation just to validate what they already want to believe.

It’s just how the world works. Globalization over the last few decades has brought its own set of perks and headaches—it's a double-edged sword, really. And let's be honest, Americans acting as the world's police force has been a given since basically World War I.
If we hadn't slapped all those Russia sanctions on them, along with the restrictions on Venezuela, Iran, and Libya, gas and oil prices would probably still look like they did back in 1995.
Instead, they're sitting at about five times higher right now.

gentlerider7 said:Man, how on earth would Putin even go about feeding an American retiree like that one...

Your point doesn't really land, because that's not Putin's job—it's the responsibility of the US government.

dustyowl29 said:It’s just how the world works. Globalization over the last few decades has brought its own set of perks and headaches—it's a double-edged sword, really. And let's be honest, Americans acting as the world's police force has been a given since basically World War I.
If we hadn't slapped all those Russia sanctions on them, along with the restrictions on Venezuela, Iran, and Libya, gas and oil prices would probably still look like they did back in 1995.
Instead, they're sitting at about five times higher right now.

That’s a fair point, especially considering how the US began expanding its hegemony right after the Civil War by establishing what we know as the Monroe Doctrine.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Monroe-Doctrine

Fill up your gas tank $237, and diesel is even worse $242!? You might be shocked at how much you were actually paying just two years ago.

https://www.cnn.com/economy/gas-prices-trends

urbanotter said:I honestly don't see why he would need to lie when you seem to be the one doing all the fabricating.

I truly believe that Lithuania has indeed blocked the rail transit of goods subject to sanctions moving toward the Kaliningrad region.

But Putin isn't twisting the truth or lying the way you are; if you look at the data, Russia saw a massive surge in energy export revenues during the first 100 days of the conflict, and GDP figures are a much more reliable metric than whatever random nonsense is being posted on Twitter.

Russia earned massive profits from oil and gas during the first 100 days of the war.

https://seebiz.eu/energetika/rusija-...na-rata/277181

It’s honestly quite sad to watch how some people refuse to face the facts, preferring instead to live in their own delusions, constantly leaning on falsehoods and twisting every situation just to validate what they already want to believe.

Brilliant logic there—it's almost as if nobody thought of that before. If you want to progress and build strength, just beg everyone else to slap you with sanctions; everything else will surely fall into place.

Michelle Young50 said:Brilliant logic there—it's almost as if nobody thought of that before. If you want to progress and build strength, just beg everyone else to slap you with sanctions; everything else will surely fall into place.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; not everyone possesses the same level of shrewdness found in Americans or other Western nations.☕

William Anderson5 said:If sanctions hurt the EU more than they hurt Russia, why are the Russians so obsessed with us and constantly meddling? I suppose it serves their interests to see the Western economy collapse...

Based on Putin's rhetoric, you'd think he's trying his hardest to save Europe, but he just can't manage it. It's almost as if he wants the EU and America to become even stronger, but they simply won't allow it...

Sanctions definitely hit Russia, but they hit the EU too—it's just that Russia seems to be feeling it less. There are reports that since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia actually made more money because energy prices spiked for all the neutral countries buying their stuff. Meanwhile, the EU is staring down an economic disaster this summer...

As for Americans, the sanctions don't really hurt them much. If they did, they wouldn't bother passing them in the first place. Unlike Europe, they aren't doing anything that actually hurts their own pockets...

fgzcvijetic said:Man, oil and gas are just popping up everywhere. You could practically stick a straw in the ground anywhere and start pumping... you'd probably just need to call up an ExxonMobil executive to take over the operation.

It really looks like the only people who are going to make a killing are those running with the crowd, while everyone else... well, they'll just be left out in the cold.

The European Union is such a desirable business partner; I can see plenty of folks lining up to offer their own gas and oil just to get a foot in the door with them. Sure, it might cost a bit more, but let’s face it—the European Union is among the top 10% wealthiest regions on the planet, and they have the capital to handle it. Plus, there's this massive global shift toward moving away from fossil fuels anyway. In a few years, the European Union will emerge much stronger from all this, while the old-school energy blackmailers will basically be stuck in the Dark Ages...

Any long-term cooperation with Russia is dead in the water; you might as well accept that now.

They’ve crossed even the most generous lines of Western patience, proving they are nothing more than unreliable and dangerous partners.

They played a high-stakes game far beyond their weight class, and frankly, seeing them fail is quite satisfying. In a few years, people will finally view them as an Asian power, which is exactly what they are.

Best of luck.

Topic: "Russia sanctions" ☕

So, here's how they manage to squeeze all that hard currency out of the US economy: they just slap a 3% fee on every transfer for "banking costs," but there’s a catch—it can't be less than $200. So, if someone tries to send you, say, $199, the bank basically just swallows the whole thing as a service fee. Talk about a joke. 🙏

https://twitter.com/tinkoff_bank

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVcTCqQW...g&name=900x900

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVcTCqIX...jpg&name=large

hollowdriver13 said:So, here's how they manage to squeeze all that hard currency out of the US economy: they just slap a 3% fee on every transfer for "banking costs," but there’s a catch—it can't be less than $200. So, if someone tries to send you, say, $199, the bank basically just swallows the whole thing as a service fee. Talk about a joke. 🙏

https://twitter.com/tinkoff_bank

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVcTCqQW...g&name=900x900

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVcTCqIX...jpg&name=large

There's more to it too—for any savings account over $10,000, they hit you with a maintenance fee of 1% of the total balance every single month!
I mean, on $10,000, you're paying $100 just to keep the account open. On $100,000? That's $1,000 a month. I guess that's one way to save money! 🙏

I'm guessing domestic accounts don't have those fees, though. 😁

urbanotter said:I honestly don't see why he would need to lie when you seem to be the one doing all the fabricating.

I truly believe that Lithuania has indeed blocked the rail transit of goods subject to sanctions moving toward the Kaliningrad region.

But Putin isn't twisting the truth or lying the way you are; if you look at the data, Russia saw a massive surge in energy export revenues during the first 100 days of the conflict, and GDP figures are a much more reliable metric than whatever random nonsense is being posted on Twitter.

Russia earned massive profits from oil and gas during the first 100 days of the war.

https://seebiz.eu/energetika/rusija-...na-rata/277181

It’s honestly quite sad to watch how some people refuse to face the facts, preferring instead to live in their own delusions, constantly leaning on falsehoods and twisting every situation just to validate what they already want to believe.

It looks like Lithuania's recognition of Russian sovereignty essentially guaranteed they'd allow the free flow of people and goods between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia:
https://twitter.com/spriteer_774400/...X1ttu3MQAvLAZw

The politicians over there act like toddlers—we saw that clearly with those unprovoked spats with China.
Plus, they can't really do much damage to Kaliningrad anyway, since cargo will just head out by sea through that narrow corridor in international waters between Finland and Estonia—nobody has the right to shut that down.

goldenpuma84 said:Sanctions definitely hit Russia, but they hit the EU too—it's just that Russia seems to be feeling it less. There are reports that since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia actually made more money because energy prices spiked for all the neutral countries buying their stuff. Meanwhile, the EU is staring down an economic disaster this summer...

As for Americans, the sanctions don't really hurt them much. If they did, they wouldn't bother passing them in the first place. Unlike Europe, they aren't doing anything that actually hurts their own pockets...

So you think Russia is feeling less of the squeeze? Are you actually considering the tech blockade they're facing?

Europe might deal with higher energy costs, but the Russians are looking at more than just price hikes—they're looking at a total shortage of cars, trucks, machinery, and spare parts. And that's not even mentioning the aviation sector...
That's just the tip of the iceberg.

The European Union will have to struggle with energy and inflation, while the Russians will be dealing with a massive collapse across almost everything else.

goldenpuma84 said:Sanctions definitely hit Russia, but they hit the EU too—it's just that Russia seems to be feeling it less. There are reports that since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia actually made more money because energy prices spiked for all the neutral countries buying their stuff. Meanwhile, the EU is staring down an economic disaster this summer...

As for Americans, the sanctions don't really hurt them much. If they did, they wouldn't bother passing them in the first place. Unlike Europe, they aren't doing anything that actually hurts their own pockets...

Think of it like getting a $30,000 severance package and thinking, "Wow!" But when you realize you have to stretch that over the next 20 years, you're actually broke. It's the same for Russia. All this cash they're raking in now won't last, because eventually, the West will stop buying from them. Long term, they're in trouble. Besides, they didn't earn it anyway.