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Countries around world heap more financial punishment on Russia

59 Comments
By RAF CASERT

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59 Comments

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The cost to ship crude anywhere near Russia has increased by at least 7X since Russian actions in Ukraine. That's going to have an enormous impact on prices all by itself even without sanctions.

EU ministers have said that even further sanctions were still possible, including booting Russia out of SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

Putin said he would consider that to be the same as a nuclear strike. In response, Russia increased the amount of cash issued to banks so their ATMs don't go empty even if there is a bank run.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

No one is panicking except Putin. He is so panicked he has decided to massacre Russia’s brothers, sisters, families, neighbours - all in the name of panic. Russia is losing and will lose, and the Russian people (who do NOT want this war) will suffer and the hands of a mad, senile old fool.

Well said. In the short term Putin may pull this off, but in the long term without a doubt Putin is the clear loser in all of this and will never recover especially if he gets his hands in Zulenskyy and kills him in front of the world.

7 ( +13 / -6 )

Russia must be stopped by any possible way!

Russia is on a big all over war and is killing innocent men, women and children.

Yesterday the Kreml said, Russia will attack Finnland if Finnland will join the Nato.

Can you see how crazy the Russians are?

Russia is ready and willing to start a 3rd world war.

This will sheer a lot of hate against Russia all over the world.

And this behavior of Putin and his followers will also have a bad impact to all the nice and paecefull russians out there.

6 ( +20 / -14 )

Putin is a Russian demon,that will take Russian too their hell on earth living in Russia

6 ( +18 / -12 )

If Ukrainians want to overthrow their own government because of atrocities in the eastern Ukraine, then help them. It starts with people initiative. But sending your own troops to another country is just simply "invasion" and "war".

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Hey, don't the Russians want slightly nicer cars, Netflix and Levi jeans?! The reality is there are some nations and cultures don't only want comfort, safety, short working hours, hygiene, birth control

Looked at the lifestyles of Putin and the Russian oligarchs lately?? Seems like if anything they are more cravenly materialistc than anyone in the west.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

At the UN Security Council, India, China and the UAE abstained to vote against Russia. Serbia announced no economic sanctions.

It tells a lot Russia could have financial support

4 ( +5 / -1 )

EU ministers have said that even further sanctions were still possible, including booting Russia out of SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

without that, the sanctions will have little effect. they need to boot Russia out of SWIFT swifty

3 ( +16 / -13 )

The west doesn't care about Ukraine. Action speaks louder than words and sanctions.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

Look, Russia has about what 560 billion in their war chest, that they have divulged to the public; which means they probably have about a trillion if not more. 

If they can hide assets from the public it also stands to reason that they can hide liabilities too, no? So why assume they have more, based on no evidence, rather than less?

They also have China which will bank roll them another trillion. 

I doubt that. Russia is playing the role of China’s idiot, poor cousin right now, much like North Korea does. China’s foreign policy is fine with Russia tying up the west, but that doesn’t mean China is going to just give them money for a stupid war in Ukraine that it has no stake in, other than the indirect benefit of screwing with the west. China will still trade with Russia, but its got better things to be spending its money on than Putin’s delusional war in Ukraine.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

This has been simmering for years not sure why the world is so shocked . Maybe we are shocked at the size of Putins balls ?

2 ( +11 / -9 )

except for SWIFT- and that could have negative consequences for everyone.

Yes I agree about the consequences for everyone.

But I 100% support to remove Russia from SWIFT.

Better to have some negative consequences than an all over war with a murder country which leader thinks he can do whatever he wants to do.

Like I said, Russia must be stopped by each possible way.

1 ( +13 / -12 )

Present day Russia demonstrates what happens and what’s wrong when The Mafia is running the government..

Organized butchery.

1 ( +10 / -9 )

Well said. In the short term Putin may pull this off, but in the long term without a doubt Putin is the clear loser in all of this and will never recover especially if he gets his hands in Zulenskyy and kills him in front of the world.

The Ukrainian President reportedly told EU leaders ( in a video call ): “ This might be the last time you see me alive “.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

And these countries know that sanctions and condemnations work, because they're how they convinced the US to leave Syria and Iraq after it invaded them....

Oh, wait, they didn't join the international community to do that, but now they are asking the international community to...

Oh, this small minority of countries define THEMSELVES as 'the international community' and the majority of the world's countries as....condemnable cowards and lackeys if they have the courage to make their own decisions, and courageous if they parrot whatever lines written for them by the US.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Love the notion that Russians who've taken their money out of Russia despite Putin's calls to invest in Russia are somehow members of Putin's inner circle.

It's almost as interesting a conceite as the notion that SWIFT, set up to make international transactions more convenient because it's a single system is magically the only way to conduct international transactions, and would not quickly be dumped if, say, a country that the majority of the world imports at least something from were to insist that they be paid through another system, and that system also be a convenient way for Europe and Japan and Canada to pay for the Iranian and Russian oil and gas they need to buy too.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Often in these situations where you're heading towards war, there is no shortage of hypocritical phrases used to excuse and to cover up the real motivations, e.g. we cannot ignore a humanitarian crisis, we are defending our nations' sovereignty and threat to security. So if we were in Russia right now, what we'd be hearing about is the rights of the Russian-speaking people in the Donbass, the discrimination that they've suffered, which is also real, and that's why we have to go and defend them. Does Putin really care about the people in Donbass or Crimea? He's obviously picked up the phrase "peacekeepers" the language precisely used by the US in the Middle East.

What we also have is that this is a defense of a small nation. What we don't hear is the fact that NATO has expanded 800 km eastwards since the collapse of the Berlin Wall. We don't hear of the massive military exercises by NATO on a yearly basis on Russia's borders, to "defend Europe." You don't hear about the missile bases in Romania and Poland and you don't hear about the NATO battle groups along Russia's borders.

After months of standing on the sidelines, during which time Washington was condemned widely for ignoring "a humanitarian crisis."

The bottom line is the US-led NATO bombed Belgrade without regard to Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territoy. That was the comparison and your response is the US had to because the world comdenmed the US for not being involved. The US was not forced to do so. That the US should be credited for waiting months before bombing instead of immeditately bombing is a weak rebuttal. Did the US (Russia) respect the sovereignty and terrioty of Iraq (Ukraine) when it launched strikes on Baghdad (Kyev) on unwarranted charges? Was there a humanitarian crises there? So no, you did not refute that.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Diplomacy may be a better solution . . . , so both sides can walk away without feeling insulted . . . .

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Well done the UK and Germany and every other European country. Only 8 years late.

(If only you still used fax machines......)

1 ( +3 / -2 )

that is simply unacceptable

accept it or not.... it's happening. what nonsensical posturing these pollies display. what's Scott Morrison going to do? confiscate the massive amount of Australia and Australian assets that are owned by Chinese interests?

0 ( +8 / -8 )

These sanctions are a good start but in the long run it won't be enough to deter Putin, who is clearly off the rails. Banning Russia from SWIFT would be a bit more severe but it would have a snowball effect on everyone. The end goal would be to remove Putin from his seat of power. Meanwhile, the international community needs to rally behind Ukraine and dispatch aid and military resources where possible.

0 ( +8 / -8 )

Whatever financial assets, property, or other wealth Putin and his band of oligarch criminals have in Europe, the US/Canada, Japan, and Australia should be immediately embargoed. Bank accounts, investments, mansions, buildings, etc., should all be confiscated and judicial proceedings started to see if they should be forfeited and the money redirected to the Ukraine government.

The only way that Putin's inner circle will overthrow him is when they see their money disappearing...

Start it today....

0 ( +7 / -7 )

When the US does hold back, such as Yugoslavia, the world condemns it for "turning a blind eye to a humanitarian crisis."

No, the US led NATO bombed Belgrade. Tomahawk cruise missiles launched in Operation Noble Anvil. Did the US respect the sovereignty and territory of Yugoslavia?

You’re asking if Putin holds back on Ukraine, the world condemns Putin for turning a blind eye to a humanitarian crisis?

If you’re at a pub, don’t bother with this discussion.

0 ( +9 / -9 )

the world condemns Putin for turning a blind eye to a humanitarian crisis?

what humanitarian crisis ?

the only humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is the one now being caused by Russia’s invasion

0 ( +8 / -8 )

It’s true that the sanctions won’t deter Putin, but It seems they, along with everything else, will make Putin incredibly unpopular in Russia. They’ve been kicked out of every cultural connection they had now - football, Eurovision, etc - and they are about to experience hyper inflation way worse than that which was already going on. Cut off from the world and poor, I think it will become apparent that Putin aspiring to recreate the USSR also means going back to what life was like for ordinary people in the USSR, which sucked.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Millions of Russians are in despair because they won't be able to see their country take part in Eurovision. Talk about cruel.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Putin is not worried about the financial consequences because he is a dictator and one of the richest people in the world. His day-to-day life will not change much.

Also, as long as China is willing to be his bank or financier in exchange for Russia supporting their attack on Taiwan, a deranged Putin is willing to take the risk (Game Theory).

China needs to also feel some of this financial punishment to make it mean something. If not they will simply be the intermediary between Russia and the rest of the world.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The debate about SWIFT is not off the table, it will continue

Funny how they quickly booted Iran out of SWIFT years ago without any hesitation, destroying it's economy. Without any invasion, without any war they just decided to ruin Iran.

Russians studied the "iranian case" and seen what would happen in such situation. Westerners have a taste of their own medicine. You gave russians all tips they needed. Enjoy.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Many reprehensible actions, all due censure.

"It was President Putin's decision to attack Ukraine. ... And he is the one responsible for the war that the Russian Federation is now waging on us," 

Fri’s U.S. measures block Putin & Lavrov, whom the Treasury Depts formal announcement of the sanctions described as Putin's "chief propagandist," from access to any assets within reach of U.S. officials, and bar anyone in the U.S. from doing business with them. Members of Russia's security council also were sanctioned.

Once again, to be clear, seems all to easy for some fat cats to sit back in their comfy chairs each day, seeking to exploit & profit from the hard work, pain & suffering of those actually on the field: In this case, the civilians, innocent children, soldiers & resistance and media correspondents ALL presently in harm’s way

*- “The U.S. and European allies announced sweeping asset freezes and other penalties Thursday against Russia's banks, state-owned enterprises and elites, but they spared Russia's leader and foreign minister in that round.” -*

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The move by the U.S., the European Union and Britain sends "a clear message about the strength of the opposition to the actions"

Well what Ukraine needs is military support in mass numbers..and that's how you showcase the strength of the opposition to the actions , and no one expect the ukranians want to take this action..

0 ( +0 / -0 )

These sanctions won't work. Why? We have a weird parochialism in the West: we like nice houses, we like nice cars, we like nice things, we like being able to speak freely... we like the lives that we've created. We have grasped the falsity of the hedonistic attitude to life, and therefore it's so difficult to fathom that humans desire nothing beyond ease of security and avoidance of pain. Hey, don't the Russians want slightly nicer cars, Netflix and Levi jeans?! The reality is there are some nations and cultures don't only want comfort, safety, short working hours, hygiene, birth control and in general common sense, they also, at least intermittently, want struggle and self-sacrifice, not to mention drums, flags and loyalty parades. Objectively speaking, these are psychologically far sounder than any hedonistic conception of life that we've fallen for.

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

So let's see, if an imperial regime invades and occupies a distant country across the globe, that poses no real threat, perhaps to secure future oil supplies, and not have countries around the world heap financial punishment, then why is another regime dumped on when it is trying to maintain security in its regional sphere of influence? Why this unequal response to unacceptable warfare against another sovereign nation?

-1 ( +14 / -15 )

Christopher Lowery

I will only say this, Russia DOES NOT NEED THE SWIFT system. they have not needed it for at least a decade.

Pretty hard to do international trade without it?

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Seems all to easy for some fat cats to sit back in their comfy chairs each day, seeking to exploit & profit from the hard work, pain & suffering of those actually on the field: In this case, the civilians, innocent children, soldiers & resistance and media correspondents ALL presently in harm’s way. Many reprehensible actions, all due censure.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Financial punishment takes time to accumulate and have any effect, By the time they bite hard enough the invasion of Ukraine will be over. Freedom fighters armed and funded by the west will continue the fight much as the Taliban did through two failed invasions. Added to years of biting sanctions the people of Russia will speak out more and more.

A steady stream of body bags will return to Russia over the months and years ahead and many thousands or martyrs will be made in Ukraine until the eventually get their freedom back again.

At that stage Putin will either have been removed by his own party or been assassinated by the same nerve toxin's favored by Russian secret service agents.

The Ukraine will fall, but it will rise again and more importantly it will never for the treachery from Russia and their relationship will take many many generations to improve.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Washington, London and Brussels alongside NATO have been expressing support for Ukraine’s entry into NATO membership which has emboldened Ukraine.

The good people of Ukraine thought the West would rescue them should they be confronted by the direst of circumstances and understandably so.

President Zelensky attended a press conference in a sweater and said he had called the leaders of 27 nations in the West and not one person answered his phone call.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

Apply sanctions on the Russians and send lots of arms to the Ukrainians.

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

Russia is not panicking they are self sustained and the benefits of taking back the Ukraine out way the sanctions.

Plus the sanctions are just targeting individuals and a few companies linked to Putin's elite circle and the banks which as we all know are going to be propped up by the Russian Gov

Imagine if Russia decides to apply it's own sanctions on Europe by stopping supplies of natural gas.

Both NATO and US have given permission to Russia by saying they would not send troops to support Ukraine.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

“ Momentum grows to ban Russia from SWIFT payment system “

...

It’ll happen, and it won’t be pretty...

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

USA and UK are starting to panic. They have realized they don’t own the whole world.

-3 ( +18 / -21 )

Finland, like Sweden, Norway and Denmark are at risk of Russian attacks because each has what have long been seen as claims to the Arctic, which Putin and Xi want for themselves.

All the more reason the US needs to ramp up its energy independence increase oil production and ween ourselves completely off foreign oil. This is exactly what happens when a country is dependent on hostile nations such as Russia that will use its energy resources as tool of threat and these countries particularly many of them being NATO members are highly dependent on them, should have never happened and the Keystone pipeline should have never been canceled it was one of the worst things for the US and Europe and that gives Putin and Xi a huge advantage.

Then the new Imperium can go after the Antarctic, furthering widening their empire's reach.

They will and that will make them stronger and very unbeatable.

Then they can fight between themselves as to how they can divide their new possessions. When Putin gets Trump back in office, look for Trump the real estate developer to sell Alaska back to Russia

Utter nonsense.

so the US will lose its Arctic claim. That leaves Canada even more exposed.

Exactly and this is why that giving up fossil fuels as a first world nation competing with powerful military nations is death sentence and here we are.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Sanctions, sanctions and more sanctions. Has the west lost their spine? Russia doesn't care about sanctions, they have a vast land heaps of resources and the support of China, a blockade won't change anything. You know what would make them change course? A couple of little boys in St Petersburg and Moscow. Unfortunately the west doesn't have the guts to do something decisive like that.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

The US Secretary of State has suggested that Russia might now even press past Ukraine into NATO territory:

Vladimir Putin may not stop once he has taken Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has warned, as satellite images show Russia assembling troops, armor and artillery along Belarus’s border with Poland. The massive buildup was spotted in the Belarus city of Brest, just 10 miles east of the the Polish border.

‘Russia has assembled troops, armor, artillery, and more than 50 heavy equipment transporters at a training area in Brest, the Polish border. Russia has also added more equipment at a nearby railyard in Belarus,’ said reporter Jack Detsch, a Pentagon and national security correspondent at Foreign Policy magazine.

Blinken was asked by ABC News on Thursday night whether he felt the Russian president would recall his forces once Ukraine was conquered.

‘Is it a possibility that Putin goes beyond Ukraine? Sure, it’s a possibility,’ Blinken told host David Muir.

But he stressed that progressing beyond Ukraine into neighboring Poland, Slovakia, Hungary or Romania would mean invading a NATO member country, and would automatically draw in the US, UK, France, Canada and the other nations that form the 30-country alliance.

‘There is something very powerful standing in the way of that, and it’s something we call Article Five,’ said Blinken.

In theory, sure. But Article Five is precisely why Russia is highly incentivized to attack any of the four countries concerned. Vladimir Putin now has a low-risk, low-cost opportunity to shatter the NATO myth once and for all, and he would be remiss if he did not seriously contemplate taking advantage of the opportunity that now presents itself. This is so obvious that even the dementia-addled Fake Biden Administration is aware of it.

It’s clear that the USA, let alone the larger European states, have no desire whatsoever to go to war with the highly formidable Russian military. Even their ability to do so has to be in question given the way in which the large Ukrainian military has melted away before the Russian quantzkrieg, especially given the fact that the third-largest European military – Germany’s – is considered to be roughly comparable to the now-defeated Ukrainian forces.

So Putin now has the chance to prove to the various NATO member states that their precious treaty, including Article Five, is as worthless as the Anglo-French security guarantees given to Poland prior to World War II. In light of the strategic brilliance exhibited thus far by the Russian strategists, I cannot imagine that this thought has not occurred to Putin or any of his generals. They know there is no need to sweep across Eastern Europe to shatter NATO and render all of its promises null and void. A simple incursion in force that destroys a few NATO bases would almost certainly suffice to accomplish their objectives without risking World War III.

You see, words are often no more than just that, WORDS. And history demonstrates that the average military treaty is worth less than the paper on which it was signed. NATO is a literally paper tiger, and it is in the Russian interest to demonstrate that to its members.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Decades of living the cozy life made Europe soft. Full of ideals and a identity crisis. Russia is not a soft country. And their soldiers definitely aren't. That's the difference between Russia and NATO. Russia won't break from sanctions, because they are used to living hard lives and having less. NATO on the other hand can't fight without relying on US. That is what set both side apart. West belief that talking it out is still gonna work, but Russia has already committed to action long ago. Is too late to stop it anyway. They will get it done no matter what. Now the question is only how many days it's gonna take. How long Ukraine is willing to fight on their own and willing to sacrifice. If Ukraine is not committed to fight to it's bitter end, then this whole thing will be over by the end of the week.

-4 ( +13 / -17 )

Starting to think that Russia underestimated the power of global condemnation but... they don’t give a ... about that.

The language of force is the only language they understand. No military answer – they’ll just keep going.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Countries around world heap more financial punishment on Russia @japantoday:

No, not countries around the world, but mainly allies of US.

These allies would look up to their master behind the scene and do exactly what is wanted of them, all the time..

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

And why don't they sanction the fascist government of Ukraine that has been massacring the people of the independent republics of Donbass for 8 years... Incredible how the US and UK have deceived the rest of the world...

US and UK cowardly and for any pretext want to hurt Russia and China

USA and UK are starting to panic. They have realized they don’t own the whole world.

AMEN !!..

-5 ( +6 / -11 )

And those coutries that stifle Russia with financial punishment for his war will reap what they sow.

A cyber retaliation and who knows what else .

Putin made it clear he was going to take Ukraine and when he asked France and USA if they were sending in troops they said no.

So the world just stood by and watched it happen.

-10 ( +9 / -19 )

These sanctions will mean nothing to Putin. A former president (guess who?) pointed out how wrong it was that Germany was taking billions of dollars from the US for NATO defense against Russia, but at the same time paying billions more to Russia for oil and natural gas.

Why would they expect Putin to give such people even an ounce of respect? Yes, Putin is a criminal, but the West has played a big part in bringing the current situation about. The Russians know they are ruled by criminals - when will Americans and the Western nations finally figure out they are too?

-10 ( +2 / -12 )

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