Sanctions on Russia

ruggeddriver70 said:How many of you guys who think the European Union is going to boss Russia around are actually ready to pack your bags, leave the EU, and go live in Russia?

Honestly, the smartest move would be to head to Mexico or just stay there—it’s going to be a bastion of stability and prosperity when these tough times finally hit. 👍

Sanctions aren't even making a dent in Russia. They basically use any negotiation—like that recent mess over grain exports from Ukraine—as leverage to demand sanctions be lifted, just purely out of principle.

mellownomad6 said:Honestly, the smartest move would be to head to Mexico or just stay there—it’s going to be a bastion of stability and prosperity when these tough times finally hit. 👍

Well, now I’m stuck wondering if this is some kind of joke.

Lisa Grant5 said:Wouldn't it be better to just head to the USA? They'd probably end up profiting from it anyway. 😉

You've got all these different YouTubers in Russia too—some claim one thing, others say something else—so at the end of the day, we'll see the truth in a few months or maybe a year. Until then, we're just stuck waiting.

Look, I get it—there's probably no way I'm gonna change your mind, but some things are just straight-up facts. There isn't a single country on this planet that could brush off sanctions like this without feeling the sting. Especially when you're talking about a developing nation with a shaky economy that’s basically built entirely on exporting energy. Saying otherwise is like saying 2+2 doesn't equal 4 and we should just wait for the math to prove it... it's just not how reality works.
Trying to artificially prop up the ruble and stuff? That's not a long-term fix. It's total nonsense.

(By the way, when you're dealing with a regime as repressive as Russia's, it's seriously sketchy to trust any news coming out of there... because you can find yourself in the government's crosshairs real quick, and then you're gone... at least for a few years, if not for good). Those YouTubers claiming "everything is fine" are straight-up lying... and we're only two months into the sanctions..

Brenda Murphy3 said:Look, I get it—there's probably no way I'm gonna change your mind, but some things are just straight-up facts. There isn't a single country on this planet that could brush off sanctions like this without feeling the sting. Especially when you're talking about a developing nation with a shaky economy that’s basically built entirely on exporting energy. Saying otherwise is like saying 2+2 doesn't equal 4 and we should just wait for the math to prove it... it's just not how reality works.
Trying to artificially prop up the ruble and stuff? That's not a long-term fix. It's total nonsense.

(By the way, when you're dealing with a regime as repressive as Russia's, it's seriously sketchy to trust any news coming out of there... because you can find yourself in the government's crosshairs real quick, and then you're gone... at least for a few years, if not for good). Those YouTubers claiming "everything is fine" are straight-up lying... and we're only two months into the sanctions..

+ Plus, Europe is already pivoting to new suppliers. Germany is openly hunting for alternatives. The President is traveling through Africa, and they're welcoming him with open arms.
That’s a long-term shift. Even if the war ends through some sort of deal, the process has already started and it isn't stopping. Russia won't be returning to the European market on that scale ever again. They've been pushed out—or rather, they pushed themselves out. They know it too, which is why they're turning toward Asia. Things will never go back to how they were, despite the words the President spoke at the start of the conflict.

Lisa Grant5 said:It’s not mindless—just look at the inflation rates. At the end of the day, the European Union is going to take the biggest hit from these sanctions, followed by Russia, while the UK and the USA walk away with all the profit.
It’s pretty interesting to see how these sanctions actually impact the RUB exchange rate against the EUR
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?f...to=EUR&view=5Y

Please. On this thread, people seem to think hurling insults is a substitute for actually having an argument due to their lack of verbal skills.🤔
The same crowd preaching about "freedom and democracy" while labeling anyone with a different opinion as a brainless Putinophile, a mercenary, or whatever else.
It says everything you need to know about them.

Lisa Grant5 said:The European Union is only just starting to feel the real economic fallout from sanctions. Honestly, the current inflation isn't even tied to the war in Ukraine—that trend was already kicking in before things escalated. As for Russia, they took a short-term hit and reacted by hiking interest rates (they used to be around 10%). A lot of manufacturers panicked and stockpiled raw materials at higher prices because of the falling Ruble, which forced them to bump up their own prices. So yeah, some stuff for everyday Americans—well, for people there—jumped 10-20% (some even more), but we're looking at a return to old price levels within two or three months. Since I occasionally chat with some folks from Russia, I asked them how things were actually going—everyone gives me basically the same answer: "Sure, some things are 10-20% pricier, and the big headaches are buying new cars (there aren't any available) and traveling abroad for vacation (between the flight routes and having to transit through a third country first, it's a massive hassle and extra expense). Other than that, everything is pretty much business as usual."

The Baltic states already have inflation rates matching Russia's, and now the European Union has nothing left to sanction except oil. Opening that Pandora's box is a mistake.
We won't feel the real blow for a few months, once the harvest finishes—especially since it started with those insane prices for synthetic fertilizers.
And don't get me started on energy. They're currently relying on government interventions and the US releasing strategic reserves. They've been pumping a million barrels a day into the market just to keep these sky-high prices afloat. What happens when that six-month plan expires and the Americans decide to refill their reserves for winter instead of releasing more?

The real culprits here are the journalists and politicians who have lost their moral compass; their statements are practically propaganda.
"We solved our Russian energy problem by cutting deals with the Qataris." Well, the Qatari energy minister has no idea what they're talking about.
"We imposed sanctions on Russia, but it's unfair when they do the same to us." Russia was supposed to "collapse" due to sanctions by mid-May, yet reality shows they have record revenues. Ukrainians are winning military engagements every single day, they just haven't taken Vladivostok yet, and on the ground, the Russians have encircled the last part of the Donbas still under Ukrainian control.

Sure, they've got their issues, but we're nowhere near a breaking point.

According to a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau, annual inflation in Lithuania hit 16.8 percent this past April when compared to the same timeframe in 2021.

It doesn't really matter; Frankfurt will step up and push through if they have to.

Everything you’re reading in the media is pure fiction.
The real truth stays tucked away, far from the public eye.
Neither Russia nor the EU has gone bankrupt—not even close. There’s plenty of oil everywhere; it just depends on how much the US decides to mess with the prices to make them go haywire. Apparently, there’s talk about implementing price caps, so that’s definitely on the table. As for the Arabs, they aren't looking to ramp up production back to pre-pandemic levels, let alone anything higher.
The bottom line? The oil is there. You've got 100 Iranian tankers practically begging for ports to offload. Politics is a mess, and we're the ones stuck footing the bill.
In reality, the big winners are Wall Street and the European stock exchanges—those absolute thieves playing the markets. Even Americans are paying record-high prices for fuel right now. We're seeing gas hit around $3.40 a gallon. Honestly, it's getting close to what people pay over in Europe.
Over there, their prices have tripled.
Once Americans finally decide to push back, that's when the government will step in—using economic, military, political, or straight-up blackmail tactics.
It’s a dirty game, but nobody plays it quite like the USA. We’re all just waiting to see how things shake out in America, because honestly, neither Russia nor the EU can move the needle here—not even China. Nobody manages to pull off anything significant without Uncle Sam stepping in to tilt the scales.

Lisa Grant5 said:Wouldn't it be better to just head to the USA? They'd probably end up profiting from it anyway. 😉

You've got all these different YouTubers in Russia too—some claim one thing, others say something else—so at the end of the day, we'll see the truth in a few months or maybe a year. Until then, we're just stuck waiting.

Just a few more mindless outbursts from the bottom of the Kremlin. My apologies. I appreciate your unique, if somewhat questionable, perspective.

rowdytiger13 said:+ Plus, Europe is already pivoting to new suppliers. Germany is openly hunting for alternatives. The President is traveling through Africa, and they're welcoming him with open arms.
That’s a long-term shift. Even if the war ends through some sort of deal, the process has already started and it isn't stopping. Russia won't be returning to the European market on that scale ever again. They've been pushed out—or rather, they pushed themselves out. They know it too, which is why they're turning toward Asia. Things will never go back to how they were, despite the words the President spoke at the start of the conflict.

Facts... the second wave of globalization is dead and buried. We're heading straight back to bloc politics—the USA leading one side, China leading the other... and Russia will probably just tag along with China.

Lisa Jackson7 said:Facts... the second wave of globalization is dead and buried. We're heading straight back to bloc politics—the USA leading one side, China leading the other... and Russia will probably just tag along with China.

Merkel mentioned how multiculturalism failed us, and now it looks like globalization is following suit.
The divide between two major blocs is already becoming impossible to ignore.

rowdytiger13 said:Merkel mentioned how multiculturalism failed us, and now it looks like globalization is following suit.
The divide between two major blocs is already becoming impossible to ignore.

The thing is, even that idea of "blocs" is pretty conditional...

There's just no way we're seeing those old-school, Cold War style bloc divisions in today's world—not in this current climate.

The ties, especially with China, to the West involve such massive interdependence and trade volume that you can't just snap back into rigid blocs. For that to happen, China would have to completely overhaul decades of economic policy, pull a total U-turn, and essentially throw away their own economic growth and prosperity. Maybe that was a possibility thirty years ago, but with how connected everything is now—the internet, the instant flow of info, all that stuff—it's impossible to pull off, even for China, even with all their heavy-handed repression... and honestly, why would they even bother? It doesn't make any sense...

Or we can just try to picture it: some retiree like Joseph, living on a modest social security check of maybe $2,500 a month, suddenly having his TV die on him. Suddenly, he’s staring down a $2,700 bill for a high-end Telefunken unit manufactured in the European Union, built with components sourced entirely from the EUUKUS bloc. That's the reality we're looking at if a direct confrontation between the West and China actually happens.

Let's just hope it never comes to that. ☕

Nathan Evans78 said:Or we can just try to picture it: some retiree like Joseph, living on a modest social security check of maybe $2,500 a month, suddenly having his TV die on him. Suddenly, he’s staring down a $2,700 bill for a high-end Telefunken unit manufactured in the European Union, built with components sourced entirely from the EUUKUS bloc. That's the reality we're looking at if a direct confrontation between the West and China actually happens.

Let's just hope it never comes to that. ☕

you're exaggerating... as usual....

Sure, things would get messy and complicated for a bit, but the economy always finds its footing and life moves on... plus, life here would still be infinitely better than living in China... so I honestly don't see what motivation China would even have to start a conflict. Their growth only really kicked off once they ditched those failed doctrines and grabbed onto the Western way of doing things—shaping it into the most cutthroat version of capitalism imaginable to fuel their rise... and now they're just going to toss all that aside? For what?

China is going to play both sides of the fence. If countries like Canada and Mexico can pull off that kind of balancing act, China definitely can too. Honestly, those are always the players that come out on top. It’s an old story—worked just fine back in the old days of America.

Brenda Murphy3 said:you're exaggerating... as usual....

Sure, things would get messy and complicated for a bit, but the economy always finds its footing and life moves on... plus, life here would still be infinitely better than living in China... so I honestly don't see what motivation China would even have to start a conflict. Their growth only really kicked off once they ditched those failed doctrines and grabbed onto the Western way of doing things—shaping it into the most cutthroat version of capitalism imaginable to fuel their rise... and now they're just going to toss all that aside? For what?

The reasoning is actually pretty straightforward: if the Chinese see the American boot polishing itself on Taiwan, they’re going to go full throttle. Honestly, these people are capable of locking down hundreds of millions of citizens, wrecking their own annual GDP, and crushing any hint of unrest—now they're supposed to just bow down to some sleepy, senile geriatric leader making threats over Taiwan?

Of course, nobody actually wants a war, but if the Americans make the first move, that's it—it's game over for a Telefunken 2.5 euro unit. ☕

dustyowl29 said:China is going to play both sides of the fence. If countries like Canada and Mexico can pull off that kind of balancing act, China definitely can too. Honestly, those are always the players that come out on top. It’s an old story—worked just fine back in the old days of America.

Coming out on top? In what universe? One single problematic nation in America is enough to cause a massive headache... and you honestly think they're "coming out on top"? Give me a break.😁

It looks like Russ is playing a game of hot potato with their oil, moving it from one tanker to another right in the middle of the Atlantic just to dodge those sanctions.

We’ve been keeping a close eye on a pretty sketchy situation involving two ships trying to pull off a ship-to-ship transfer of Russian oil further out into The Atlantic ocean. What's really wild is they don't even seem to have any tug boats helping them out, which totally flies in the face of standard safety protocols. It's definitely something to watch.

I've already sent all the specifics over to our clients. https://twitter.com/TankerTrackers/s...FW8s311WQ&s=19

Nathan Evans78 said:The reasoning is actually pretty straightforward: if the Chinese see the American boot polishing itself on Taiwan, they’re going to go full throttle. Honestly, these people are capable of locking down hundreds of millions of citizens, wrecking their own annual GDP, and crushing any hint of unrest—now they're supposed to just bow down to some sleepy, senile geriatric leader making threats over Taiwan?

Of course, nobody actually wants a war, but if the Americans make the first move, that's it—it's game over for a Telefunken 2.5 euro unit. ☕

Thirty years ago, a VCR cost 1,000 Deutsche Marks. Now, you pick up a Chinese TV box for 30 bucks.
Ask the Japanese how their sales looked back then versus now. It doesn't matter how good their tech is.

goldenowl73 said:It looks like Russ is playing a game of hot potato with their oil, moving it from one tanker to another right in the middle of the Atlantic just to dodge those sanctions.

We’ve been keeping a close eye on a pretty sketchy situation involving two ships trying to pull off a ship-to-ship transfer of Russian oil further out into The Atlantic ocean. What's really wild is they don't even seem to have any tug boats helping them out, which totally flies in the face of standard safety protocols. It's definitely something to watch.

I've already sent all the specifics over to our clients. https://twitter.com/TankerTrackers/s...FW8s311WQ&s=19

Classic Iranian move.
I don't get why they call it "concerning"—it's the open ocean, they can do whatever they want.

Koreans pulled the plug on a deal for 3 LNG carriers for the Arkticki LNG-2 project:
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5367711
Supposedly because the money didn't arrive—which makes sense, given how the West blocked Russian finances. Looks like the Koreans were barely hanging on by a thread there.

The Russians are planning to build 15 of those ships themselves at the Zvezda shipyard, but who knows how long that'll take—given the Western embargo on shipbuilding tech and their lack of experience with LNG vessels.