Sanctions on Russia

wiredseal7 said:I hear you—but let's not pretend freezing an oligarch's assets is some grand act of justice. Honestly? It's just a convenient excuse to loot them a little bit.

Justice? Hardly. The goal here should be hitting them hard enough that these kinds of one-sided moves aren't worth the trouble in any future scenario. In rogue states—and let's face it, Russia fits the bill today—the elites are the ones pulling all the strings, so they're really the ones who need to feel the sting.

Dennis Price said:Justice? Hardly. The goal here should be hitting them hard enough that these kinds of one-sided moves aren't worth the trouble in any future scenario. In rogue states—and let's face it, Russia fits the bill today—the elites are the ones pulling all the strings, so they're really the ones who need to feel the sting.

The war in Ukraine is just the excuse to slap Russia with all these sanctions—it isn't the root cause.

The real issue is Russia rebuilding itself after being treated like a joke in the 90s—that wasn't caused by Western power centers, obviously. Then there's the rise of China, which is nearly impossible to contain if Putin's Russia stays standing. Add in some delusional Americans who think Trump was a Russian asset and want revenge... I've actually run into some pretty high-level people over there who buy into that nonsense.

wiredseal7 said:The war in Ukraine is just the excuse to slap Russia with all these sanctions—it isn't the root cause.

The real issue is Russia rebuilding itself after being treated like a joke in the 90s—that wasn't caused by Western power centers, obviously. Then there's the rise of China, which is nearly impossible to contain if Putin's Russia stays standing. Add in some delusional Americans who think Trump was a Russian asset and want revenge... I've actually run into some pretty high-level people over there who buy into that nonsense.

Sanctions were triggered by the Russian invasion, not the other way around.😵

wiredseal7 said:The war in Ukraine is just the excuse to slap Russia with all these sanctions—it isn't the root cause.

The real issue is Russia rebuilding itself after being treated like a joke in the 90s—that wasn't caused by Western power centers, obviously. Then there's the rise of China, which is nearly impossible to contain if Putin's Russia stays standing. Add in some delusional Americans who think Trump was a Russian asset and want revenge... I've actually run into some pretty high-level people over there who buy into that nonsense.

If you want to see the ups and downs of Russian economic and political power, just look at this chart:



In this petrostate, the top 10% walks away with 45% of the total income.



So, yeah, that middle-class turbo-capitalism makes for great propaganda. But if their military is just a Potemkin village... well, what else isn't?

Dennis Price said:Sanctions were triggered by the Russian invasion, not the other way around.😵

Some people just have a fundamental issue with perception—it's a recurring problem. For instance, I’ll stare right at the number 78 and somehow end up writing down 87. It happens!

wiredseal7 As stated by Michelle Nelson4:
A significant portion of this entire mess consists of various former mobsters, relatives, associates, and even the mistresses of high-ranking officials—among many others (I won't claim it's everyone, though it certainly feels that way). It is an enormous amount of corruption that would, quite frankly, demand a massive federal investigation back in Russia, provided we were living in a more civilized era.

Is it not precisely the responsibility of the EU and America to handle such matters through the mechanism of sanctions and by seizing assets via freezing? These assets belong to Russia and to Russians.

And really, what on earth do they have to do with Ukraine? Why exactly is this being lumped into these so-called "crisis" sanctions? Where did this sudden, intense concern regarding oligarchs come from, especially considering they were welcomed guests for two decades while they shamelessly drained resources from the EU?

Where on earth is he thinking he’s heading with all that excess cash? Why wasn't that surplus being funneled back into the domestic budget instead of being bled out to foreign interests?

You failed to address the fundamental questions posed. Frankly, I am left in a state of utter disbelief. Why is it so difficult to grasp that when we freeze the assets of these oligarchs, we are effectively freezing Putin’s own wealth? Do people truly believe he intends to divert those billions toward charitable endeavors? Of course not; he will undoubtedly funnel those funds into financing his criminal regime. Is the logic behind this really so impenetrable?

USD to Rubles is sitting at 106. It was hovering around 140 before hitting that 160 peak. What on earth is going on?

coastalmarlin64 said:USD to Rubles is sitting at 106. It was hovering around 140 before hitting that 160 peak. What on earth is going on?

I mean, where are you even looking? The numbers on the FX markets, where all the speculators make their money, aren't really the same thing as whatever the central bank posts on its site: https://www.cbr.ru/eng/currency_base/daily/

If you want to see how things have been moving, check this out: https://www.cbr.ru/eng/currency_base....To=16.03.2022

Maybe the speculators have finally caught on to the fact that roughly $800 million in fresh greenbacks flows into JP Morgan Chase every single day just to cover the gas moving through Ukraine. 😁

https://www.nytimes.com/israel-news/article-701350

So, I was just reading this piece in The New York Times, and apparently, Israel shot down Abramovich's request to park his private jets at one of their airports.

Anthony Hill5 said:The truth is that Khodorovsky was convicted in a trial that was nothing more than a political sham because he dared to oppose Putin; as for the others, once they witnessed what happened to the wealthiest and most powerful oligarch among them, they quickly tucked their tails between their legs and began dancing to Putin's tune just to ensure they wouldn't suffer the same fate.

I can only hope that the West is merely scratching the surface regarding these seizures, and that this money will eventually be utilized to rebuild Ukraine and provide compensation to the families of those who lost their lives.

IF that ever actually happens (and let's be real, true seizure is basically theft), we’d first have to deal with paying out settlements and covering wages for everyone losing their jobs due to sanctions... not to mention compensating hundreds of European suppliers who are going to get hit hard in the process...

It’s honestly a shame how few people seem to grasp the full scope of this whole situation...

Nathan Evans78 said:Maybe the speculators have finally caught on to the fact that roughly $800 million in fresh greenbacks flows into JP Morgan Chase every single day just to cover the gas moving through Ukraine. 😁

And this is what the trolls are calling a massive win 😆

George Davis6 said:IF that ever actually happens (and let's be real, true seizure is basically theft), we’d first have to deal with paying out settlements and covering wages for everyone losing their jobs due to sanctions... not to mention compensating hundreds of European suppliers who are going to get hit hard in the process...

It’s honestly a shame how few people seem to grasp the full scope of this whole situation...

Nah. First, those frozen and seized assets will probably be used to cover the damage done to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

boldotter2 said:Nah. First, those frozen and seized assets will probably be used to cover the damage done to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

As if all those billiard halls and yachts will somehow cover the cost of this war—it doesn't matter if it's Russia versus the West, since all the cash and luxury stays in the West while the Russian mythomaniacs just spin tales.

1:42 PM
Russian tankers move 600,000 tons of oil

On Monday, nine Russian tankers moved roughly 600,000 tons of oil through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, heading toward Germany, Turkey, Poland, and Greece...

The cargo is valued at $68 million 🤔

Ethan Alvarez5 said:1:42 PM
Russian tankers move 600,000 tons of oil

On Monday, nine Russian tankers moved roughly 600,000 tons of oil through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, heading toward Germany, Turkey, Poland, and Greece...

The cargo is valued at $68 million 🤔

What's the big deal here?

boldotter2 said:Nah. First, those frozen and seized assets will probably be used to cover the damage done to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

It won't happen, trust me on this one! I honestly don't see any legal basis for anyone to just seize, grab, and sell off private property...

Nathan Evans78 said:Maybe the speculators have finally caught on to the fact that roughly $800 million in fresh greenbacks flows into JP Morgan Chase every single day just to cover the gas moving through Ukraine. 😁

Why not just shut off the gas? If they did, Europe would be in an instant recession.

George Davis6 said:It won't happen, trust me on this one! I honestly don't see any legal basis for anyone to just seize, grab, and sell off private property...

Nobody's going to seize anything. I guess the oligarchs will just pay up on their own terms. Honestly, they'll probably choose that because any other option would end up costing them way more. There is no free lunch.

The Russian flag being taken down right outside the European Parliament headquarters in Strasbourg
Bye bye 👋

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/statu...J580iJY2A&s=19