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Few of them do have an effect on the military, but hardly a significant one. Some of them forced the government officials to eat their own dog food. Most of the

Few of them do have an effect on the military, but hardly a significant one. Some of them forced the government officials to eat their own dog food. Most of them, however, feel like mocking petty revenge. If anything, those sanctions that disproportionately affect regular powerless people only reinforce the official propaganda's view that "we're encircled by enemies". Vladimir Kara-Murza expressed the same ideas much more eloquently on the press conference that followed the prisoner swap in August: https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/russian-opposition-figure-kara-murza-after-1722631238.html https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/russian-opposition-figure-ka... In my own opinion, a good step in the right direction would be if we could travel to European countries as easily as we used to be able to. Then more people could see with their own eyes that they're being lied to.

aguaviva 2y ago
Thanks -- those are some useful data points. What about the freezing (and probable eventual seizure) of $300b of CBRF assets (apparently 60 percent its total foreign currency reserves)? That's got to be causing some significant pain, somewhere.
- grishka 2y ago
  Not sure if it's caused by this or the sanctions related to USD and EUR currencies themselves, but CBRF has introduced limitations on foreign currency transactions in March 2022. They were supposed to last 6 months but every time they're about to expire they get extended for 6 more months. You can't withdraw more than $10k of USD or EUR cash combined from all foreign currency accounts in each bank, and you can only withdraw the money that was there before March 2022. Past that limit and for any money you received after March, you can only withdraw it as rubles at the CBRF exchange rate, iirc. Most banks also treat dollars and euros like they're radioactive and will hit you with monthly fees if you have too much. So in the end we have three different exchange rates for these currencies: the CBRF one, the one for online operations with those "virtual" dollars and euros in currency accounts, and the "real" one for cash.
chipdart 2y ago
> In my own opinion, a good step in the right direction would be if we could travel to European countries as easily as we used to be able to. I don't agree. Russia's regime threatens Europe with invasion and nuclear bombs almost on a daily basis, and vilify everyone who doesn't enthusiastically support their invasion of Ukraine. A few years ago Russia even had a nuclear bomber circling the coast of western Europe. This behavior is not limited to government. It's not unheard of having Russian tourists insulting and threatening locals. In Europe or in any corner of the world. There are also Russian citizens attacking refugees and asylum seekers in foreign soil, even Russia's own war dodgers. You cannot expect to systematically threat neighbors and still demand or even expect them to continue to cater to the whims of the agressor. It is a voluntary relationship that cuts both ways. When you start a war, you should expect to experience war.
- voidr 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - grishka 2y ago
    Yeah sometimes Chinese tourists are also annoying here. So what? I feel like every country has these kinds of stereotypes about foreign tourists. I always treat everyone with respect by default and expect the same from others.
  - aguaviva 2y ago
    European here, Russia is not threatening anyone here, not sure who told you that nonsense. Since 2014, Russia (that is, its government) has: - Shot down a passenger jet departing from Amsterdam, murdering 298 persons (including 211 citizens from European countries) - Carried out (or attempted) targeted killings in the UK, Germany and Spain - Blown up a Czech munitions plant, poisoned a Bulgarian arms dealer - Organized sabotage acts against Poland - Abducted an Estonian security officer at gunpoint inside Estonian territory, and dragged him across the border - Engaged in numerous maritime and border provocations, especially against the Sweden and the Baltic states - Issued numerous menacing and/or provocative statements against Poland and the Baltic states (e.g. reminding Poland that its borders were "a gift from Stalin") - And just the other day, Medvedev literally threatened to nuke Kyiv (saying it could turn into "a big grey lump") It's plenty obvious you don't care about Ukraine (since you seem to have forgotten that it's part of Europe, also), but I'm pretty sure you understand that a nuclear attack on Kyiv would have certain decidedly negative effects on the rest of Europe as well.
sam_lowry_ 2y ago
> In my own opinion, a good step in the right direction would be if we could travel to European countries as easily as we used to be able to. Then more people could see with their own eyes that they're being lied to. This and even more has been already tried, albeit somewhat inadvertently. Look at the neighboring Belarus. After Chernobyl, a fair share of kids and teens went on to spend their vacations in EU countries: Italy, UK, Austria, Belgium were the most welcoming, AFAIR. At least 1/3 of Belarusian kids have been through one of the many Chernobyl kids programmes, many of them multiple times. I was among those kids, as well as Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya who continued accompanying kids as a student, then as a teacher until her 30ies. This definitely changed many individual lives for the better, but has it changed the country for better? I bet no.
cr125rider 2y ago
You guys need to fix your dictator quickly before someone else decides to. They’ll be much less surgical than you’d want. See Israel/Palestine. It’s on the Russian people to choose their path or continue complying with the regime that’s driving the country into the ground.
- hollerith 2y ago
  No one outside Russia is stupid enough to try to "fix" Putin -- at least no government is.

aguaviva 2y ago

Thanks -- those are some useful data points. What about the freezing (and probable eventual seizure) of $300b of CBRF assets (apparently 60 percent its total foreign currency reserves)? That's got to be causing some significant pain, somewhere.

grishka 2y ago
Not sure if it's caused by this or the sanctions related to USD and EUR currencies themselves, but CBRF has introduced limitations on foreign currency transactions in March 2022. They were supposed to last 6 months but every time they're about to expire they get extended for 6 more months. You can't withdraw more than $10k of USD or EUR cash combined from all foreign currency accounts in each bank, and you can only withdraw the money that was there before March 2022. Past that limit and for any money you received after March, you can only withdraw it as rubles at the CBRF exchange rate, iirc. Most banks also treat dollars and euros like they're radioactive and will hit you with monthly fees if you have too much. So in the end we have three different exchange rates for these currencies: the CBRF one, the one for online operations with those "virtual" dollars and euros in currency accounts, and the "real" one for cash.

chipdart 2y ago

> In my own opinion, a good step in the right direction would be if we could travel to European countries as easily as we used to be able to. I don't agree. Russia's regime threatens Europe with invasion and nuclear bombs almost on a daily basis, and vilify everyone who doesn't enthusiastically support their invasion of Ukraine. A few years ago Russia even had a nuclear bomber circling the coast of western Europe. This behavior is not limited to government. It's not unheard of having Russian tourists insulting and threatening locals. In Europe or in any corner of the world. There are also Russian citizens attacking refugees and asylum seekers in foreign soil, even Russia's own war dodgers. You cannot expect to systematically threat neighbors and still demand or even expect them to continue to cater to the whims of the agressor. It is a voluntary relationship that cuts both ways. When you start a war, you should expect to experience war.

voidr 2y ago
[flagged]
- grishka 2y ago
  Yeah sometimes Chinese tourists are also annoying here. So what? I feel like every country has these kinds of stereotypes about foreign tourists. I always treat everyone with respect by default and expect the same from others.
- aguaviva 2y ago
  European here, Russia is not threatening anyone here, not sure who told you that nonsense. Since 2014, Russia (that is, its government) has: - Shot down a passenger jet departing from Amsterdam, murdering 298 persons (including 211 citizens from European countries) - Carried out (or attempted) targeted killings in the UK, Germany and Spain - Blown up a Czech munitions plant, poisoned a Bulgarian arms dealer - Organized sabotage acts against Poland - Abducted an Estonian security officer at gunpoint inside Estonian territory, and dragged him across the border - Engaged in numerous maritime and border provocations, especially against the Sweden and the Baltic states - Issued numerous menacing and/or provocative statements against Poland and the Baltic states (e.g. reminding Poland that its borders were "a gift from Stalin") - And just the other day, Medvedev literally threatened to nuke Kyiv (saying it could turn into "a big grey lump") It's plenty obvious you don't care about Ukraine (since you seem to have forgotten that it's part of Europe, also), but I'm pretty sure you understand that a nuclear attack on Kyiv would have certain decidedly negative effects on the rest of Europe as well.

sam_lowry_ 2y ago

> In my own opinion, a good step in the right direction would be if we could travel to European countries as easily as we used to be able to. Then more people could see with their own eyes that they're being lied to. This and even more has been already tried, albeit somewhat inadvertently. Look at the neighboring Belarus. After Chernobyl, a fair share of kids and teens went on to spend their vacations in EU countries: Italy, UK, Austria, Belgium were the most welcoming, AFAIR. At least 1/3 of Belarusian kids have been through one of the many Chernobyl kids programmes, many of them multiple times. I was among those kids, as well as Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya who continued accompanying kids as a student, then as a teacher until her 30ies. This definitely changed many individual lives for the better, but has it changed the country for better? I bet no.

cr125rider 2y ago

You guys need to fix your dictator quickly before someone else decides to. They’ll be much less surgical than you’d want. See Israel/Palestine. It’s on the Russian people to choose their path or continue complying with the regime that’s driving the country into the ground.

hollerith 2y ago
No one outside Russia is stupid enough to try to "fix" Putin -- at least no government is.