Russians are hoping for an easing of sanctions and the return of big Western brands to the Russian market. Is this a real prospect – or simply a collective wish disguised as news?
Official statistics show that Russia's economy is growing despite war and Western sanctions. In fact, economic problems are piling up and Russia risks recession.
The war in Ukraine is increasing the gap between Russia’s wealthy elites and the majority of the population. There is also a drive to redistribute wealth and channel it towards those loyal to Putin’s regime.
A wave of "accidents"/sabotages in the Baltic Sea suggests that the tanker fleet used by Russia to evade Western sanctions is also being deployed in the hybrid warfare that Moscow is waging against the West.
Russia’s civil aviation is facing an unprecedented crisis, as both domestic production and foreign imports are being hampered by sanctions imposed by the West following Ukraine’s invasion.
For the gerontocratic Russia’s leadership, the vision of the future is derived from a mythical “golden past”, but manifesting as escalating corruption, growth in alcohol consumption, resource scarcity, and rising crime.
Traditional trade relations have been disrupted after the invasion of Ukraine by sanctions that affect not only the EU and Russia, but also dozens of third countries that have been caught in the middle.
Sanctions and public pressure generated by the invasion of Ukraine forced many Western companies to leave the Russian market. However, there are enough investors who chose to stay, drawn by its potential.
O flotă de petroliere „fantomă” a ajutat Rusia să evite sancțiunile occidentale și să-și vândă petrolul astfel încât acesta să ajungă pe piețele globale.
Between circumventing Western sanctions and laundering money with digital tools
How Russia is living under sanctions, how it circumvents them, and what lessons a market economy can draw from this experience?
So far, Western sanctions had little impact on Belarus’ economy. However, they made the country increasingly dependent on Russia and they caused new rifts within the society.
From hardliner Dmitri Medvedev’s wine to raw materials for the arms industry, Russian imports are transiting Latvia in spite of the latter’s hawkish stance towards Moscow.
Estonia has pleaded tough sanctions against Russia, and yet Estonian entities and persons – even from the Prime minister’s family – have been breaking some of the existing sanctions.
As experts warn that Georgia will not be granted EU candidate status this year, authorities allege there was a coup plot and the parliament impeaches the president.
The protracted war in Ukraine has made Western countries willing to cooperate with Russia increasingly vocal. These countries persevere despite the sanctions, although they face countless other problems.
Georgia is increasingly economically dependent on Russia, which generates security risks for Tbilisi. There are also concerns that Moscow is circumventing Western sanctions through Georgia.
The West concedes to Russia, admitting that the economic sanctions against Moscow are not working, according to a narrative promoted by a well-known pro-Russian website in Romania.
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