Sanctions on Russia

So, the USA, Canada, and the UK are all cutting ties on Russian oil, and—get this—they're even ditching the gas... though, if you look closely, it’s mostly just the Britons pulling the plug on the gas part...

The USA has been purchasing LNG.

brightheron64 said:Essentially, what just happened is this:

The Polish announcement was met with relative silence from Washington officialdom. The U.S. European Command and State Department declined to comment.
A Pentagon official emailed that “we’ve seen the Polish government’s announcement,” adding, “we have nothing to offer at this time.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/0...-help-00015259

As Anthony Hill5 pointed out, it's all just wishful thinking. Quite a difficult situation to be in...

To me, it all feels like they're just "rattling the saber" with those planes—maybe an attempt to rush Russia on the operational front and bait them into making mistakes.
It's not like they can just hand over those jets "keys in hand" or anything.

Adam Lee13 said:So, the USA, Canada, and the UK are all cutting ties on Russian oil, and—get this—they're even ditching the gas... though, if you look closely, it’s mostly just the Britons pulling the plug on the gas part...

British gas imports from Russia are practically negligible. They really only pick up supplies if there’s a breakdown on the North Sea platforms or to bolster reserves during maintenance periods.

Anthony Hill5 said:I would argue that it is already a done deal.

Poland has agreed to hand over all of its MIG-29 fighter jets to a US airbase "immediately and free of charge" as part of a plan to provide aircraft to the Ukrainians.

Washington has been looking at a proposal under which Poland would supply Ukraine with Soviet-era fighters and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for their loss.

Just a few days ago, the Americans stated that the onus was on Poland to make the final call, precisely because doing so could turn them into a direct target for Russia, given that Moscow has declared any nation providing aircraft or utilizing their airbases for the Ukrainians will be viewed as a belligerent party in the conflict.

It is quite obvious that the Russians have failed to intimidate the Poles.

The U.S. hasn't confirmed anything yet. For a while now, officials have been telling reporters they're looking into it, but also hinting that it might not actually happen.

Here’s some American news coverage following the announcement from Poland, including references to requested comments from the Pentagon:

Yeah, the behavior is certainly confusing. brightheron64 makes a fair point. (Let him have his little moment of solace right now.)

On the other hand... the Russian Central Bank has banned the sale of foreign currencies until September. The ruble just isn't a convertible currency anymore.

It’s rarely the shiny weaponry that wins the day; rather, it’s the weight of sanctions that truly tests a hero's mettle.

Seriously though, foreign currency exchanges have been totally suspended. For the next six months, you won't be able to swap Russian rubles for any hard currency in Russia. Though, technically, you can do the exact opposite, so if you're into that kind of thing, there you go.
https://insiderpaper.com/russia-susp...tral-bank/amp/

With this move, everything just goes out the window—Russia is basically abandoning the most fundamental functions of money. I mean, how is it supposed to act as a medium of exchange, a store of value, or even a unit of account? None of that works anymore... it’s just absolute chaos.

Anthony Hill5 said:Now, look, Pepe Escobar can be a massive troll, but even he is reporting that Russia's observer status has been suspended. If that is the case, shouldn't they logically halt all current projects since the Russians are no longer officially observing?

The level of Russophobia on display here is truly staggering.

Don't sweat it—I checked. Here's the official word if you want it:
https://home.cern/news/news/cern/cer...vasion-ukraine

Most of the countries involved that aren't actual CERN members don't have observer status anyway. So, there's no rule saying their institutes have to keep doing what they've been doing. Plus, you have to wonder how those experiments would even work if the Russians shut down their gear and pulled their experts out. It'd be like the EU shooting themselves in the foot with those sanctions.

Sure, the European Union shot her in the foot, but let's be honest—her foot was planted firmly on Putin's face to begin with.

Morgan Stanley is forecasting a Russian credit default this fall, and Fitch is already warning that a "default is imminent."

Man, if only PepsiCo could just stay in Russia, we’d basically be reliving the USSR days all over again. Honestly, at this rate, we'll probably have them paying their bills with actual warships and submarines next.

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-...e-world-2018-7

Carl Lee27 said:Man, if only PepsiCo could just stay in Russia, we’d basically be reliving the USSR days all over again. Honestly, at this rate, we'll probably have them paying their bills with actual warships and submarines next.

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-...e-world-2018-7

With PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Starbucks all pulling out today, I think people over there might finally start realizing that something is seriously wrong with this "special operation" in Ukraine.

Thomas Walker84 said:With PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Starbucks all pulling out today, I think people over there might finally start realizing that something is seriously wrong with this "special operation" in Ukraine.

It's hard to tell when things will click for them... since you can't get a representative sample... 🤷 It doesn't make sense to just poll major cities (like Moscow or St. Petersburg), but if a rebellion starts there, it might be enough to turn everything against Putin.

Repina on junk food:
Back to the USSR. McD’s closes tomorrow in Russia.

wiredseal7 said:Don't sweat it—I checked. Here's the official word if you want it:
https://home.cern/news/news/cern/cer...vasion-ukraine

Most of the countries involved that aren't actual CERN members don't have observer status anyway. So, there's no rule saying their institutes have to keep doing what they've been doing. Plus, you have to wonder how those experiments would even work if the Russians shut down their gear and pulled their experts out. It'd be like the EU shooting themselves in the foot with those sanctions.

From what I understand, there is no such thing as "my" or "your" equipment at CERN; rather, CERN and all its projects and hardware are funded through contributions and dues from member states, so I fail to see what the Russians could possibly "withdraw." There are roughly a thousand scientists stationed there who aren't even on the Russian Federation's payroll—they are on CERN's payroll—so if they decide to pull them back, well, good luck to them. It won't be CERN that loses out; it will be Russia and those very same scientists, who, upon returning to Russia, will likely find themselves relegated to plowing grain fields since Russia is clearly the number one superpower in agriculture.

Coca-Cola and McDonald's announce withdrawal and suspension of operations in Russia

McDonald's, an icon of the post-Soviet era, to shutter all locations in Russia

Perhaps in a few decades, we might find ourselves witnessing similar scenes in Moscow once again, though who can truly say what the future holds?





In the interim, the United States is issuing stern warnings to China, making it clear that there will be severe consequences should they choose to flout the Western sanctions imposed on Russia.

The Biden administration could “ essentially shut ” down Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation or Any Chinese companies that defy U. S. sanctions by continuing to supply chips and other advanced technology to Russia, Ms. Raimondo said in an interview with The New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/08/t...onductors.html

slyfox43 said:Yeah, the behavior is certainly confusing. brightheron64 makes a fair point. (Let him have his little moment of solace right now.)

On the other hand... the Russian Central Bank has banned the sale of foreign currencies until September. The ruble just isn't a convertible currency anymore.

It’s rarely the shiny weaponry that wins the day; rather, it’s the weight of sanctions that truly tests a hero's mettle.

Think about it—there are nearly 3 billion people who haven't slapped any sanctions on Russia. They’re still out there doing business just like they always have. How are they even going to pay Russia if they aren't using the dollar?

Carl Lee27 said:Seriously though, foreign currency exchanges have been totally suspended. For the next six months, you won't be able to swap Russian rubles for any hard currency in Russia. Though, technically, you can do the exact opposite, so if you're into that kind of thing, there you go.
https://insiderpaper.com/russia-susp...tral-bank/amp/

With this move, everything just goes out the window—Russia is basically abandoning the most fundamental functions of money. I mean, how is it supposed to act as a medium of exchange, a store of value, or even a unit of account? None of that works anymore... it’s just absolute chaos.

Two weeks until total currency collapse? Honestly, not bad at all for an empire that the West loves to claim is on its last legs.

Jeremy Turner9 said:Brussels has a little suggestion for all Americans: ‘Why don’t you try imposing sanctions on Putin yourselves? It’s easy—just stop heating your homes.’
A high-ranking official from the European Commission recently floated the idea that any citizen within the European Union could effectively ‘get back’ at Putin by making minor personal sacrifices.

If we start implementing these kinds of mandates, we might as well just revert to a command economy...

Of course nounar would write a headline like that.

For those interested, the full plan is right here:

https://energy.ec.europa.eu/repowere...able-energy_en

At first glance, it sounds like a high-octane version of Fitfor55.

It is interesting how nuclear energy is barely even mentioned, all while Macron is busy announcing new nuclear plants in FR. Huehue.

A breakdown of the companies hitting Russia with sanctions and pulling out



https://som.yale.edu/story/2022/over...ia-some-remain

https://financialpost.com/commoditie...modity-firms?r

China is looking into picking up stakes in Russian energy giants and companies focused on raw material extraction and refining.
Looks like Russia is officially being reeled in by the Chinese supply chain.

hollowdriver13 said:https://financialpost.com/commoditie...modity-firms?r

China is looking into picking up stakes in Russian energy giants and companies focused on raw material extraction and refining.
Looks like Russia is officially being reeled in by the Chinese supply chain.

Man, you can practically hear the Chinese rubbing their hands together...