Sanctions on Russia

Morgan Wright5 said:Oh, absolutely. I imagine they held a deep, profound appreciation for a nation that served as arguably the worst possible ally one could ever hope to have.

But hey, those were the Italians we always used to joke about, wasn't it?

swiftjackal11 said:Russia is actually getting stronger despite the sanctions, so let them have it then.☕

Well, sure, let them keep their gas too.

Europe has plenty of coal plants to fall back on if we need to replace that substance nobody wants to touch anyway.😁

A former finance minister actually told Putin what everyone else is too terrified to even whisper: "Our economy is headed straight for a disaster!"

B

The former finance minister of the Russian Federation, Alexei Kudrin, gave Vladimir Putin a blunt warning that the war in Ukraine is going to absolutely wreck the Russian economy, according to reports from the independent news outlet Meduza.

Citing two different sources inside The Kremlin, Meduza is reporting that Kudrin—speaking in his capacity as head of the parliamentary Department of Finance—sat down with Putin back in March. Interestingly, the President's office didn't officially announce that meeting until June 14th of this year, and even then, their official press release conveniently left out any mention of the situation in Ukraine.

It feels like everyone is just freaking out over gas prices while the sanctions are actually tearing the country apart. After the CEO of JPMorgan Chase basically said Russia would still be feeling the sting of these sanctions ten years down the road, we now have yet another voice who actually knows what they're talking about—unlike some other folks—predicting that the brutal times ahead for Russia have already kicked in.

Russia is going to have a hell of a time digging itself out of this mess. They can lie to themselves and the rest of the world all they want, claiming these sanctions aren't doing anything or that they're actually making them stronger, but when reality finally hits them right in the face, that blow is going to be even more devastating.

This is the true state of Russia and its provinces today. The salary of an American nurse in the village was shocking.

Let’s be real: modern-day Russia isn't even close to being the superpower the Soviet Union was back when its grip finally slipped. Mikhail Gorbachev tried to drag an Asian autocracy toward a European model and failed miserably, while Boris Yeltsin attempted to run the country without actually getting a handle on the economic engines driving it.

In many ways, Putin's Russia feels like history repeating itself, though this time it’s playing out like a total farce. Putin has basically resurrected the social dominance of the "siloviki"—that crowd with backgrounds in the repressive apparatus, intelligence agencies, or military hierarchies. Today, they make up the core of the political and social elite in Russia, using their specific skill sets to micromanage both the social fabric and the economic gears of the nation.

Even though Putin's Russia is essentially just a glorified resource extractor—acting as a raw material and energy tap to fund a bloated military-industrial complex and a massive internal crackdown system rather than actually creating or innovating anything—it still manages to pull things off. For now, they’re successfully bullying former Soviet states and even some Eastern European countries into vassal status, mostly by weaponizing energy dependence and leaning on military threats.

goldenowl73 said:A former finance minister actually told Putin what everyone else is too terrified to even whisper: "Our economy is headed straight for a disaster!"

B

The former finance minister of the Russian Federation, Alexei Kudrin, gave Vladimir Putin a blunt warning that the war in Ukraine is going to absolutely wreck the Russian economy, according to reports from the independent news outlet Meduza.

Citing two different sources inside The Kremlin, Meduza is reporting that Kudrin—speaking in his capacity as head of the parliamentary Department of Finance—sat down with Putin back in March. Interestingly, the President's office didn't officially announce that meeting until June 14th of this year, and even then, their official press release conveniently left out any mention of the situation in Ukraine.

It feels like everyone is just freaking out over gas prices while the sanctions are actually tearing the country apart. After the CEO of JPMorgan Chase basically said Russia would still be feeling the sting of these sanctions ten years down the road, we now have yet another voice who actually knows what they're talking about—unlike some other folks—predicting that the brutal times ahead for Russia have already kicked in.

Russia is going to have a hell of a time digging itself out of this mess. They can lie to themselves and the rest of the world all they want, claiming these sanctions aren't doing anything or that they're actually making them stronger, but when reality finally hits them right in the face, that blow is going to be even more devastating.

This is the true state of Russia and its provinces today. The salary of an American nurse in the village was shocking.

And honestly, even without sanctions, Russia is a nation on the brink of extinction. They’ve got deep, structural issues—way bigger than anything in the US—when it comes to birth rates and population decline.
As far as sanctions go, pretty much every developed nation built itself up on the dollar—from China and South Korea to Japan and even Russia.
The Cold War ended with the collapse of the USSR, but now we're back in a Cold War era that's going to drag on. Europe will suffer through it for a few years, but this Cold War only ends when Russia falls apart. Doesn't matter how things wrap up in Ukraine.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil tycoon turned dissident, argued on Tuesday that the European Union made a massive blunder with its oil sanctions against Moscow. He claims these measures are actually undermining the economies of the 27 member states rather than draining the Kremlin's war chest.

The man who used to be the wealthiest individual in Russia suggested that the EU should have secured alternative energy sources before jumping straight into an embargo. Alternatively, he argues they should have considered a different strategy entirely—like slapping heavy tariffs on Russian energy instead of implementing a total ban. By essentially punching a hole in their own wallets, Khodorkovsky maintains that Europe is now left with even less capacity to fund its most critical mission: buying more weapons for Ukraine.

https://www.politico.eu/article/mikh...taging-itself/

The murderer is right about this one. ☕

Oil is down to $106 a barrel. It's been sliding for two weeks now.

If you consider a standard price range to be somewhere between $70 and $80, we aren't actually that far off...

Jack Hill2 said:Oil is down to $106 a barrel. It's been sliding for two weeks now.

If you consider a standard price range to be somewhere between $70 and $80, we aren't actually that far off...

This nation emerged as the ultimate lifeline to replace Russian oil. Massive tankers are flooding into Europe now that Americans have lifted export bans and sanctions.

lp

Bryan Booth82 said:This nation emerged as the ultimate lifeline to replace Russian oil. Massive tankers are flooding into Europe now that Americans have lifted export bans and sanctions.

lp

And all those people who love Russia were claiming Maduro wouldn't throw Putin under the bus, and that he definitely wouldn't turn his back on the West or those dirty petrodollars just to be difficult... until suddenly, "it's nothing personal, just good business." 🕺
It’s the exact same deal with Iran—lots of big talk, but they'd probably jump at the chance to trade if it meant getting off the sanctions list. Honestly, only a fool wouldn't try to cash in on their natural resources while they still can. The golden age of hydrocarbons is winding down, and you don't want to be sitting on massive reserves that end up being totally useless.

Bryan Booth82 said:This nation emerged as the ultimate lifeline to replace Russian oil. Massive tankers are flooding into Europe now that Americans have lifted export bans and sanctions.

lp

So much for consistency...

What was the name of that "newly elected" and "globally recognized" president of Venezuela again?
Guardo, Guardiola, Gumbo, Garfield... 🤔

And are the Iranians going to make their comeback soon too, like some ancient brothers lost in the wilderness of history?

hollowdriver13 said:And all those people who love Russia were claiming Maduro wouldn't throw Putin under the bus, and that he definitely wouldn't turn his back on the West or those dirty petrodollars just to be difficult... until suddenly, "it's nothing personal, just good business." 🕺
It’s the exact same deal with Iran—lots of big talk, but they'd probably jump at the chance to trade if it meant getting off the sanctions list. Honestly, only a fool wouldn't try to cash in on their natural resources while they still can. The golden age of hydrocarbons is winding down, and you don't want to be sitting on massive reserves that end up being totally useless.

Look, you have street walkers and you have high-end escorts... it's essentially the same business, just with different social standings and price tags.

In the end, the core question remains: "who is actually more corrupt, the one selling the service or the one buying it?"

Bryan Booth82 said:This nation emerged as the ultimate lifeline to replace Russian oil. Massive tankers are flooding into Europe now that Americans have lifted export bans and sanctions.

lp

Was Russian oil ever actually a major issue? Imports were only at 20%, and there are plenty of alternatives out there...

It clearly isn't that difficult to replace Russian oil, considering the European Union set its own import sanctions that kick in just a few months from now...

Natural gas is the real issue. And that problem really boils down to one word: Germany. They caused this mess themselves, and now they have to fix it. I highly doubt the Germans will ever feel the pinch. They claim they won't need Russian gas in 16 months. We'll see if that holds up...

brightheron64 said:So much for consistency...

What was the name of that "newly elected" and "globally recognized" president of Venezuela again?
Guardo, Guardiola, Gumbo, Garfield... 🤔

And are the Iranians going to make their comeback soon too, like some ancient brothers lost in the wilderness of history?

Look, you have street walkers and you have high-end escorts... it's essentially the same business, just with different social standings and price tags.

In the end, the core question remains: "who is actually more corrupt, the one selling the service or the one buying it?"

Why is that any surprise? Even an Orthodox believer like Putin and his Pope Kiril count non-believing Muslims and communists as their closest allies...

William Anderson5 said:Why is that any surprise? Even an Orthodox believer like Putin and his Pope Kiril count non-believing Muslims and communists as their closest allies...

It really is a fascinating new world we live in, where roughly 7.5 billion people seem to be getting played by hundreds of thousands of total frauds every single day...

America needs more oil hitting the market to drive prices down—mostly because Americans themselves are becoming collateral damage from all these sanctions. I mean, gas prices are literally more than double what they were back in 2021.
It’s basically just choosing the lesser of two evils at this point.
They’d much rather lift sanctions on Venezuela or Iran than touch Russia. If oil hits $80, even the Chinese won't bother buying Russian crude just to avoid catching the ire of the US government.
Look, Americans aren't stupid—they haven't been running things haphazardly for a century, after all.
Of course, they put their own interests first, but their main partners are the UK and the European Union.
In reality, the US has the most powerful conventional military on the planet, and they're effectively the leaders within NATO. Without America, Europe is pretty much militarily defenseless..

If the world slides into a recession this fall, I’ll be right back at it—just selling ExxonMobil like I did in 2008.

If we actually managed to crash global oil and gas prices, it would deal a far more devastating blow to Russia than any shipment of weapons they've ever sent abroad.
It seems like the West has finally caught on to this reality, which explains why Putler has pivoted toward these massive gas cuts—it’s a desperate attempt to artificially prop up prices before the floor falls out from under them.

Best regards,

Roko As requested:
A former Treasury Secretary actually had the guts to say exactly what everyone else is too terrified to even whisper... he looked Putin right in the eye and warned him, "Our economy is heading straight for a total catastrophe!" It’s just wild how some people can see the cliff coming while everyone else is busy pretending the road is perfectly fine...

B

Everyone seems so preoccupied with the fluctuating price of gas at the pump, yet they completely overlook how those massive sanctions are actually hitting Russia... It’s almost funny if you think about it! Even after the head of JPMorgan Chase pointed out that Russia would be feeling the full weight of those sanctions, we're still seeing people miss the bigger picture. Now, we have yet another expert stepping up—someone who actually knows their stuff, unlike certain other voices in this debate—predicting some incredibly turbulent times ahead for Russia. Honestly, if you look closely, I'd say those difficult days have already begun...

Russia is going to have a really hard time digging themselves out of this mess... and honestly, they can lie to their faces or tell the world all they want that sanctions aren't doing a thing—that it's actually making them stronger—but reality has a funny way of catching up. When that sudden, heavy blow finally hits home, the impact is going to be even more devastating than they realize...

This is what real America and its heartland look like today... You wouldn't believe it, but I was just reading about how the salary of an American nurse in that small town was absolutely shocking... honestly, it really puts things into perspective when you think about the cost of living out there!

You really don't need to listen to anyone else on this matter... let me just break it all down for you myself... 😁

Bryan Booth82 said:If we actually managed to crash global oil and gas prices, it would deal a far more devastating blow to Russia than any shipment of weapons they've ever sent abroad.
It seems like the West has finally caught on to this reality, which explains why Putler has pivoted toward these massive gas cuts—it’s a desperate attempt to artificially prop up prices before the floor falls out from under them.

Best regards,

Putin started cutting back on the gas to stop Western countries from filling up their storage facilities before autumn, trying to prevent them from being ready for a total supply shutdown this winter...

dustyowl29 said:America needs more oil hitting the market to drive prices down—mostly because Americans themselves are becoming collateral damage from all these sanctions. I mean, gas prices are literally more than double what they were back in 2021.
It’s basically just choosing the lesser of two evils at this point.
They’d much rather lift sanctions on Venezuela or Iran than touch Russia. If oil hits $80, even the Chinese won't bother buying Russian crude just to avoid catching the ire of the US government.
Look, Americans aren't stupid—they haven't been running things haphazardly for a century, after all.
Of course, they put their own interests first, but their main partners are the UK and the European Union.
In reality, the US has the most powerful conventional military on the planet, and they're effectively the leaders within NATO. Without America, Europe is pretty much militarily defenseless..

Once Venezuela and Iran return to the global market, prices will drop significantly lower than $80!

Bryan Booth82 said:If we actually managed to crash global oil and gas prices, it would deal a far more devastating blow to Russia than any shipment of weapons they've ever sent abroad.
It seems like the West has finally caught on to this reality, which explains why Putler has pivoted toward these massive gas cuts—it’s a desperate attempt to artificially prop up prices before the floor falls out from under them.

Best regards,

Of course it would, absolutely. We’re talking about a strategic non-nuclear strike by an international coalition...

But, well, we’ve been waiting for that miracle for months now, haven't we? Honestly, should we just open up a betting parlor to see which happens first—prices going up or down?
It wouldn't even surprise me if the Saudi Crown Prince ordered a massive new yacht that practically paid for itself... I mean, one day you're looking at $100 per barrel, and the next it's jumped to $120, almost overnight...