Sanctions on Russia

Singapore is signaling new sanctions against Russia: https://www.timesofisrael.com/livebl...aine-invasion/
They’re freezing four banks and banning the export of electronics, computers, and military gear. It's worth noting that Singapore rarely touches the sanction button unless they absolutely have to.
Since Singapore serves as a major financial hub for that part of Asia, this carries some weight.

William Gonzalez3 said:Reports suggest the whole point of these sanctions is to isolate and drain Russia—essentially hoping to spark enough internal unrest to eventually force a change in leadership.
But if we look at what happened with places like Cuba, Iran, or North Korea—nations that have lived under long-term sanctions—I suspect we can say with some certainty that nothing similar is going to happen here.

In fact, there is a real possibility that this entire anti-Russian campaign—which seems to be going way beyond just the sanctions themselves—might actually play right into Putin's hands by reinforcing his narrative that the West is an enemy of Russia. If that happens, it might just end up making them more unified than ever.

To be totally honest here, the real goal of sanctions has never actually been about sparking revolutions or putting direct pressure on a regime—at least not as the primary objective. You're never going to hear them admit it out loud, obviously, but the main function of sanctions is really just to impoverish both the people and the state. When a country is broke, it becomes incredibly difficult for them to fund military campaigns, support uprisings, or keep up that kind of momentum.

Nancy Bishop2 said:I'm looking at the GDP per country:

Germany 4,230,172 (million USD)
United Kingdom 3,108,416
France 2,940,428
Italy 2,120,232
Russia 1,647,568

And here are the percentages being set aside for defense spending
Germany 1.4%
United Kingdom 2.2%
France 2.1%
Italy 1.6%
Russia 4.3%

Based on these numbers, Germany's total expenditure is barely lower than what Russia pours into its military. Even though those four major European powers completely dwarf Russia in scale, they still act like total pushovers.

All these EU leaders are basically stuck in a 1968 mindset. They’re living in a total daydream, and that’s exactly why they've kept their militaries intentionally weak. It's by design.

This is going to change everything. Seriously.

Morgan Brown4 said:How long do you think these sanctions actually stick once the war is over?
Would they stay in place if Putin comes out on top? Like, if we just end up back at the pre-February status quo? Or maybe even going back to how things were before 2014? Or is this something that stays active until Putin finally steps down?

That's a pretty interesting question.

Looks like Lviv is getting all set up to become the backup capital.

I reckon if we just build up a massive, heavily armed fortress out West—something so solid that even Russia couldn't crack it with their best shots—we’d be set. We just sit tight, let the sanctions do their thing, and wait out the months or maybe even years until Russia finally hits the breaking point. Simple as that.

Carl Lee27 said:To be totally honest here, the real goal of sanctions has never actually been about sparking revolutions or putting direct pressure on a regime—at least not as the primary objective. You're never going to hear them admit it out loud, obviously, but the main function of sanctions is really just to impoverish both the people and the state. When a country is broke, it becomes incredibly difficult for them to fund military campaigns, support uprisings, or keep up that kind of momentum.

If you look at the situation in Iran, you can see that it isn't quite as straightforward as people assume.

In fact, Iran has remained actively involved in the conflicts in Syria—and despite the USA doing everything in its power to destabilize them through decades of heavy sanctions, they still haven't managed to force a change in the regime there.

Maybe Iran would actually be playing a much bigger role if they weren't dealing with all those sanctions

slysurfer77 said:Listen to this—calling it some sort of anti-Russian campaign. 🙄 It’s almost as if Russians just showed up in Ukraine for a quick vacation and now everyone hates them. I suppose the only thing truly "unifying" Russians right now is Putin's crackdowns.

Honestly, this frantic race between organizations and institutions to purge anything remotely connected to Russia feels about as intelligent as renaming French fries to "Freedom Fries"—just one of those mindless interventions we've seen from Americans before.
The last thing I read was that restaurants are even pulling Russian salad from their menus.

And yeah, I think it's starting to feel more like hysterical Russophobia than actual economic sanctions.

William Gonzalez3 said:Honestly, this frantic race between organizations and institutions to purge anything remotely connected to Russia feels about as intelligent as renaming French fries to "Freedom Fries"—just one of those mindless interventions we've seen from Americans before.
The last thing I read was that restaurants are even pulling Russian salad from their menus.

And yeah, I think it's starting to feel more like hysterical Russophobia than actual economic sanctions.

What you're describing is typical for the USA.
Europe isn't out here promoting Russophobia... unless you're equating Putin and Russia as one and the same. But that’s a whole different debate altogether!

William Gonzalez3 said:Honestly, this frantic race between organizations and institutions to purge anything remotely connected to Russia feels about as intelligent as renaming French fries to "Freedom Fries"—just one of those mindless interventions we've seen from Americans before.
The last thing I read was that restaurants are even pulling Russian salad from their menus.

And yeah, I think it's starting to feel more like hysterical Russophobia than actual economic sanctions.

Well, if it is Russophobia, surely there's a reason behind it, right?

A madman running a nation decides to go out and conquer a sovereign state—all while making incredibly serious threats with his military against everyone in sight. It’s almost surprising that people are feeling a bit uneasy.

Morgan Brown4 said:How long do you think these sanctions actually stick once the war is over?
Would they stay in place if Putin comes out on top? Like, if we just end up back at the pre-February status quo? Or maybe even going back to how things were before 2014? Or is this something that stays active until Putin finally steps down?

It seems pretty obvious that any territory Russia has seized since February 24th has to be returned before anyone even starts talking about lifting sanctions.

That said, if Russia shows signs of weakness—perhaps after Putin eventually steps down—they might try to throw Crimea into the mix as a condition for any deal to lift those sanctions.

My guess, knowing how much Putin refuses to budge on anything, is that the sanctions will remain firmly in place until his reign ends, leaving everything else up to whoever follows him. It’s entirely possible these sanctions could persist for decades...

I wouldn't be surprised if we see sanctions ramping up even further over time, eventually leading to a full ban on Russian oil imports, and maybe gas later on...

It’s just what the West wants, I guess. They want to bleed Russia dry economically and everything else, until they’re lagging behind technologically and aren't much of a threat to their neighbors anymore. The West can probably pull this off for a long time, even if this whole thing in Ukraine drags on forever.
I mean, let's be real—Ukraine wouldn't exactly be the first country to get rebuilt under some new version of the Marshall Plan, right?

Word is out that Putin has instructed his cabinet to draw up a definitive list of all the nations that have slapped sanctions on Russia—targeting its companies, organizations, and specific individuals alike.

So, how exactly does he plan to strike back this time?

Quote from the article:
"Most people couldn't care less about the losses suffered by greedy bankers, but don't let populism cloud your judgment: this is largely about the retirement savings of ordinary folks like you and me, which are managed by investment funds.
...
And so, millions of small investors from countries that have sided with Ukraine are paying a very real price for these sanctions. In fact, you’re probably one of those lucky people—a collateral victim of Russian aggression. Even if you aren't one of the few adventurers who somehow developed a crush on Russian stocks, remember that every single American, without exception, indirectly invests in global capital markets through mandatory pension funds.
...
Suddenly, we've all found ourselves in a fascinating spot: even though we've already done our part to resist the Russian invasion—implicitly agreeing that the government can sacrifice a slice of our savings—the economic devastation of Russia isn't actually helping us. The destructive fallout from economic sanctions (on both sides) is systematically eroding the value of our savings, following that old, proven historical lesson: there are no winners in war, only bigger and smaller losers."

Terry Hernandez10 said:Word is out that Putin has instructed his cabinet to draw up a definitive list of all the nations that have slapped sanctions on Russia—targeting its companies, organizations, and specific individuals alike.

So, how exactly does he plan to strike back this time?

The same way he always does: through more sanctions and empty threats...

Putin recently asked who exactly was responsible for slapping those sanctions on him. You can check out the breakdown over at Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, The Guardian put together a list showing everyone caught in the crossfire—from major corporations to everyday people across the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the USA.

slysurfer77 said:Well, if it is Russophobia, surely there's a reason behind it, right?

A madman running a nation decides to go out and conquer a sovereign state—all while making incredibly serious threats with his military against everyone in sight. It’s almost surprising that people are feeling a bit uneasy.

https://www.dw.com/en/bulgaria-spu%C...iju/a-55007729

Sound familiar? All that’s missing is a Bulgarian invasion of North Mexico, though it might actually happen. I haven't heard anyone from the European Union step up for North Mexico besides Milanović. His speech after the invasion was telling. ☕

And even when that windbag Milanović told the European Union, Bulgaria, and Greece to back off, Plenković was busy apologizing to Bulgaria and Greece for letting them screw over North Mexico. The Republican Party claims they’re being "consistent" with their policy. I can't wait to see those weaklings start apologizing to Russia for invading Ukraine. ☕

I bet certain European Union politicians played the same game with Ukraine—setting conditions they knew were impossible to meet. And now what? They send flowers and well-wishes just to help them survive one more day. ☕

Since the beginning of time, powerful nations have dictated terms to the weak. Look at us. We had to sign an agreement with Canada allowing some arbitration to decide things about OUR own territory. What do you call that if not an invasion of sovereign land? ☕

Who knows what we'll demand from Canada, Mexico, Mexico, or Albania. Probably nothing from Albania. Maybe lifetime free ice cream. ☕

Here is some insight from Russian sources:
Poll: A whopping 71% of Russians believe they will win in Ukraine, with a massive majority backing the war.

Yesterday, Gallup released data from a study regarding the perception of the Russian "special military operation in Ukraine":
- The vast majority of Russians trust the Russian military (84%). In fact, one out of ten (10%) does not. Furthermore, 70% of Russian citizens surveyed believe there is a high probability that the military operation will be a success for the Russian troops.
- 71% of Russians support the decision to carry out the "special military operation" in Ukraine. One in five people (21%) quite strongly opposes the military action, while 8% remain unsure.

It is clear that the people stand behind the war. We need to push for even tougher sanctions.

George Robinson43 said:Here is some insight from Russian sources:
Poll: A whopping 71% of Russians believe they will win in Ukraine, with a massive majority backing the war.

Yesterday, Gallup released data from a study regarding the perception of the Russian "special military operation in Ukraine":
- The vast majority of Russians trust the Russian military (84%). In fact, one out of ten (10%) does not. Furthermore, 70% of Russian citizens surveyed believe there is a high probability that the military operation will be a success for the Russian troops.
- 71% of Russians support the decision to carry out the "special military operation" in Ukraine. One in five people (21%) quite strongly opposes the military action, while 8% remain unsure.

It is clear that the people stand behind the war. We need to push for even tougher sanctions.

And that's not even reliable.

If it’s coming out of Russia, then it must be 100% factual!

George Robinson43 said:Here is some insight from Russian sources:
Poll: A whopping 71% of Russians believe they will win in Ukraine, with a massive majority backing the war.

Yesterday, Gallup released data from a study regarding the perception of the Russian "special military operation in Ukraine":
- The vast majority of Russians trust the Russian military (84%). In fact, one out of ten (10%) does not. Furthermore, 70% of Russian citizens surveyed believe there is a high probability that the military operation will be a success for the Russian troops.
- 71% of Russians support the decision to carry out the "special military operation" in Ukraine. One in five people (21%) quite strongly opposes the military action, while 8% remain unsure.

It is clear that the people stand behind the war. We need to push for even tougher sanctions.

Since they were the ones filling out the poll themselves, I’m not exactly surprised by those numbers. It seems pretty obvious that actual support is much lower in reality. This isn't Russia Mexico. 😁

Spain has officially joined the fray by seizing villas and yachts belonging to Russian oligarchs.
And honestly, those oligarchs are hitting a massive wall right now trying to move any money through Spain...

Roughly 80,000 Russians are struggling to transfer their funds in Spain due to the sanctions...