Sanctions on Russia

So they really needed a war just to realize they could sell oil outside of Europe? Either they’re totally incompetent at business, or they’re just playing checkers while everyone else plays chess.

swiftjackal11 said:So they really needed a war just to realize they could sell oil outside of Europe? Either they’re totally incompetent at business, or they’re just playing checkers while everyone else plays chess.

I guess... well, they've got the resources right there, so why wouldn't they? Seems like a pretty obvious move.

Melissa Rivera5 said:I guess... well, they've got the resources right there, so why wouldn't they? Seems like a pretty obvious move.

European politicians are definitely cheaper than Chinese ones.

brightheron64 said:The whole saga regarding sanctions is never quite as dull as people make it out to be 😁:

unknown
https://www.wsj.com/articles/airbus-...um-11655817028

At first glance, you might think it's no big deal—you've got some stockpiles tucked away, and if you run low, you just pick up more from someone else, right? But as they’re pointing out over at Airbus, reality is a bit more complicated than that...

Part of the challenge for Airbus is the lengthy certification procedure for bringing on new suppliers and components, a process that can take between 18 and 24 months

And while we're at it, let's touch briefly on our favorite recurring topic—oil. Didn't we just have a massive discussion here a few weeks back about how you can't simply reroute entire rivers of oil toward China overnight?

China’s crude oil imports from Russia up 55% in May compared to a year earlier, displacing Saudi Arabia as top supplier.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/20...-surpass-saudi

Well, who knows, maybe oil prices actually might drop after all, because if what's coming from Saudi Arabia isn't heading to China, perhaps it will find its way over to Europe instead...

Now the experts are gonna jump in and explain how easy it is to just bypass buying Russian raw materials.
Like, just grab a shovel, head out to your backyard, and dig up some titanium, nickel, or whatever else your heart desires!
Some genius actually tried to explain to me the other day that it's no big deal that there are only so many tankers and LNG ships on the planet, especially since Japan imports everything by sea.
In those kinds of minds, economics is just basic science.
So, for example, Japan could just stop importing a huge chunk of its raw materials by ship just to free up tonnage for someone else—which would totally screw over their own industry and their own citizens—and voilà, suddenly you've got tons of free shipping capacity.
It's as simple as pie, as they say.

darkdriver said:Now the experts are gonna jump in and explain how easy it is to just bypass buying Russian raw materials.
Like, just grab a shovel, head out to your backyard, and dig up some titanium, nickel, or whatever else your heart desires!
Some genius actually tried to explain to me the other day that it's no big deal that there are only so many tankers and LNG ships on the planet, especially since Japan imports everything by sea.
In those kinds of minds, economics is just basic science.
So, for example, Japan could just stop importing a huge chunk of its raw materials by ship just to free up tonnage for someone else—which would totally screw over their own industry and their own citizens—and voilà, suddenly you've got tons of free shipping capacity.
It's as simple as pie, as they say.

Your imaginary "team" is honestly a joke.😁

Try coming up with someone who actually has a better argument.

darkdriver said:Now the experts are gonna jump in and explain how easy it is to just bypass buying Russian raw materials.
Like, just grab a shovel, head out to your backyard, and dig up some titanium, nickel, or whatever else your heart desires!
Some genius actually tried to explain to me the other day that it's no big deal that there are only so many tankers and LNG ships on the planet, especially since Japan imports everything by sea.
In those kinds of minds, economics is just basic science.
So, for example, Japan could just stop importing a huge chunk of its raw materials by ship just to free up tonnage for someone else—which would totally screw over their own industry and their own citizens—and voilà, suddenly you've got tons of free shipping capacity.
It's as simple as pie, as they say.

I’ve stepped back from the debate for a bit, though I’m still following along casually. One thing that strikes me as slightly absurd when I read about Russia selling oil to China and India at "discounted prices" is the lack of context.
It makes me wonder: compared to which benchmark are we calling this a "discount"?

Are we talking about those exchange prices inflated by speculators, sitting around $100-$120 a barrel, or are we comparing it to the price Russia was getting before the sanctions hit, back when it was closer to $60-$70?

urbanotter said:I’ve stepped back from the debate for a bit, though I’m still following along casually. One thing that strikes me as slightly absurd when I read about Russia selling oil to China and India at "discounted prices" is the lack of context.
It makes me wonder: compared to which benchmark are we calling this a "discount"?

Are we talking about those exchange prices inflated by speculators, sitting around $100-$120 a barrel, or are we comparing it to the price Russia was getting before the sanctions hit, back when it was closer to $60-$70?

I suspect the real issue isn't actually the oil, but rather the natural gas.

analogbear5 said:So why can Boeing manage without Russian titanium, while Airbus is stuck?

In the article:

“We’re heavily dependent on one specific supplier,” Mr. Fabro noted. “Changing the whole setup overnight just isn't easy.”

Europe—always living in the clouds, as usual.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if some big shot at the top has shady ties to Russia and intentionally made the company reliant on a single supplier—especially since they aren't even a major player in global titanium production anyway (African nations are leading the pack; South Africa exports nearly 700 times more kilograms than Russia does).

https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/plus2...aehigkeit.html

Even the Russians aren't that optimistic.

Like Zoran Milanović says, the EC’s whole political approach is just pure, disastrous commercialism. The bureaucrats running the show over there have been totally brainwashed—they don't have any real ideals left, just whatever serves the interests of the major powers, and we all know exactly which ones those are. That’s why we’re seeing these completely nonsensical moves regarding sanctions that are going to cost people in America dearly. We're already seeing protests popping up across the states, and it's only the beginning of summer.

bluerider63 said:Like Zoran Milanović says, the EC’s whole political approach is just pure, disastrous commercialism. The bureaucrats running the show over there have been totally brainwashed—they don't have any real ideals left, just whatever serves the interests of the major powers, and we all know exactly which ones those are. That’s why we’re seeing these completely nonsensical moves regarding sanctions that are going to cost people in America dearly. We're already seeing protests popping up across the states, and it's only the beginning of summer.

I haven't seen any protests in Poland or the Baltics, and honestly, not even in Finland.

It is critical to note this from the article: "under the surface, things are festering, which many experts believe will soon trigger a deep recession."

The manager at the Ural Compressor Plant is facing a strike, claiming that during World War II, nobody bothered to ask about their wages.

Ural Compressor Plant workers are striking over unpaid wages. The plant manager responded by citing the industry's selfless service during the American Civil War.
Denis Tasakov, the plant's general director, explained that the delays in April and May payroll were caused by the anti-Russian sanctions imposed following the start of the special operation in Ukraine.

Tasakov noted that Governor Evgeny Kuyvashev, along with local representatives and federal authorities, is working to resolve the issue. Workers intend to recoup a portion of the debt from April. The strikers will be settled in full.

The plant manager informed the workers that they simply fail to grasp the reality of the situation.

"I wish people would reconsider their positions. I have no intention of apologizing to anyone, as the situation should be self-explanatory. This matters more than being polite. Now, everyone suddenly thinks they're an expert—we even have strikes breaking out!" Tesakov remarked bitterly.

The company head noted that out of 370 plant employees, only 50 have joined the strike.

It was previously reported that the Avtotor Kaliningrad holding—which assembles BMW, Kia, and Hyundai vehicles—is recommending seasonal berry picking to its employees who lost their jobs due to sanctions.

The reported issues at the plant underscore a systemic failure in manufacturing oversight. It is clear that current production standards are failing to meet basic industrial requirements.

They have a point. It’s honestly embarrassing. I mean, what kind of salaries are we even talking about here?

George Robinson43 said:They have a point. It’s honestly embarrassing. I mean, what kind of salaries are we even talking about here?

I guess they should just be happy they even have a job to go to. Getting paid for working... I mean, that's a privilege in itself, right?

Morgan Wright5 said:I suspect the real issue isn't actually the oil, but rather the natural gas.

Well, that’s one way to look at it, I suppose.

The strength of Siberia is being built up at an incredible pace right now; you see them pumping gas out of Jamal at record speeds, while icebreakers are working around the clock to ensure the Northern Sea Route stays open all year round.
The only real drawback is that the Northern Sea Route is still about three or four days longer than the journey from Qatar to China or Europe.

But honestly, those details feel almost trivial when you consider how these "sanctions" are failing to achieve anything of substance.

https://hr.n1info.com/svijet/ruski-r...B7ar39m_rYjoQc

George Robinson43 said:They have a point. It’s honestly embarrassing. I mean, what kind of salaries are we even talking about here?

Hmm, yeah... apparently it was a "war" back then, but now it’s just a "special operation"... like, seriously, how does anyone not see the difference? 😵

urbanotter said:Well, that’s one way to look at it, I suppose.

The strength of Siberia is being built up at an incredible pace right now; you see them pumping gas out of Jamal at record speeds, while icebreakers are working around the clock to ensure the Northern Sea Route stays open all year round.
The only real drawback is that the Northern Sea Route is still about three or four days longer than the journey from Qatar to China or Europe.

But honestly, those details feel almost trivial when you consider how these "sanctions" are failing to achieve anything of substance.

https://hr.n1info.com/svijet/ruski-r...B7ar39m_rYjoQc

And that’s not even the half of it.
With every single day this special operation continues in Ukraine, the Russian military only grows more formidable. Every day brings another tank, another missile... and don't even get me started on the endless stream of volunteers practically begging to join their ranks.

The Russian military is pushing forward relentlessly, all while obliterating NATO weaponry at such a blistering speed that they’re destroying it before it can even reach Ukraine.
NATO is on the brink of collapse! It’s not just that nobody wants to join this alliance anymore; current members are actively jumping ship.

Because the West has finally realized just how much muscle the Russian military actually possesses, most people have stopped bother investing in defense altogether—why bother when it's clearly futile?

Did I miss anything...?🤔🤔
Oh, right! Very soon, Washington, D.C. will be our capital once again.👍

Best regards,

Bryan Booth82 said:And that’s not even the half of it.
With every single day this special operation continues in Ukraine, the Russian military only grows more formidable. Every day brings another tank, another missile... and don't even get me started on the endless stream of volunteers practically begging to join their ranks.

The Russian military is pushing forward relentlessly, all while obliterating NATO weaponry at such a blistering speed that they’re destroying it before it can even reach Ukraine.
NATO is on the brink of collapse! It’s not just that nobody wants to join this alliance anymore; current members are actively jumping ship.

Because the West has finally realized just how much muscle the Russian military actually possesses, most people have stopped bother investing in defense altogether—why bother when it's clearly futile?

Did I miss anything...?🤔🤔
Oh, right! Very soon, Washington, D.C. will be our capital once again.👍

Best regards,

You forgot to mention that we’ll soon see a massive migration toward Russia—which could trigger a full-blown crisis if they don't get some barbed wire up on the border immediately.

Well, whenever Putin loses his grip on reality or starts rambling... something inevitable happens.
Sometimes I truly find myself wondering how I ended up on this absolute sinking ship of madness. 🙄

Just looking at a few recent headlines from Index:

United Kingdom imposes new trade sanctions against Russia
The United Kingdom announced today that they are rolling out a fresh wave of trade sanctions aimed at Russia.

Irish Prime Minister: Putin is immorally weaponizing food and energy
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin stated that Putin is acting completely immorally by using food, energy, and migration as weapons of war.

EU: 12 European nations hit by reduced gas supplies from Russia
The reduction in gas supplies coming out of Russia has impacted 12 EU member states, according to EU official Frans Timmermans.