Quote:

---

Originally posted by THG:

Multinationals flee Russia, punishing Moscow

Biden to champion US diplomacy in State of the Union as West stands up to Putin

GOP senators push back hard on Trump's praise of Putin
SENATE

Large multinational companies are fleeing Russia, joining a large swath of the international community in moving to isolate the nation in response to its brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Oil and gas giants BP and Shell announced they are leaving Russia after spending decades making investments worth billions of dollars in the country, while several U.S. companies are halting all shipments to Russia.

The exodus is expected to continue as more businesses weigh the reputational and financial risks of doing business with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Experts say that if energy firms are willing to forfeit huge sums by pulling out of Russia, industries with much less to lose will soon follow suit.

“I think corporate executives, in addition to considering political risk, are genuinely outraged by what Russia has done,” said Bill Reinsch, the Scholl chair in international business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, adding that he is surprised by just how quickly companies have made the call to leave Russia.

These decisions are driven in part by enormous public pressure to disown the Russian government and also by the sweeping sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies that severely complicate companies’ ability to do business with Russian entities.

Shell on Monday said that it will abandon stakes in Russian state-owned energy projects that are worth roughly $3 billion. The Dutch company noted that the move will hurt the value of its assets and “lead to impairments.”

"We are shocked by the loss of life in Ukraine, which we deplore, resulting from a senseless act of military aggression which threatens European security," Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement.

That announcement came after BP, a longtime defender of Putin, said it would desert its 20 percent stake in Russian state-owned energy firm Rosneft. The move could cost BP as much as $25 billion if the oil giant is forced to write off the investment, as selling it could prove difficult under strict sanctions.


“Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an act of aggression which is having tragic consequences across the region,” BP Chairman Helge Lund said in a statement. “BP has operated in Russia for over 30 years, working with brilliant Russian colleagues. However, this military action represents a fundamental change.”

As Russia escalates its attacks on Ukraine, it’s becoming increasingly isolated from the rest of the world. American shipping companies FedEx and UPS said they would temporarily suspend all shipments to both countries, while Germany’s DHL said it would pause some services to Russia and Ukraine, citing security concerns.

Ocean carrier Maersk said Monday that it might suspend shipments to and from Russia, a move that would further cut the nation off from international trade. The Danish shipping giant said that it was monitoring the security situation in Ukraine and “preparing to comply with the ever-evolving sanctions and restrictions imposed against Russia.”

Companies that haven’t fled are likely evaluating how to navigate complex sanctions and exploring whether continuing business with Russia is worth the regulatory challenges.

In response to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and its allies froze roughly $630 billion in Russian central bank assets being held abroad, blocked fundraising for Russian state-owned entities and cut some Russian banks out of the SWIFT international payments system. The U.S. blocked Russian state-owned banks from accessing the U.S. dollar and imposed export controls that prevent Russia from obtaining computer chips and other technologies.

In just a matter of days, the sanctions have brought the Russian economy to the brink of collapse. The Russian ruble was worth less than 1 cent as of Monday afternoon, giving businesses yet another reason to pull out of the country.

European companies, particularly banks and energy firms, are far more exposed to Russia than U.S. businesses, which generally sought to limit their Russian investments after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 for annexing the Crimea Peninsula.

Russia accounts for around 7 percent of oil imported to the U.S. but is only the 20th largest importer for all goods and the 40th largest export market for American goods, according to the U.S. Trade Representative office.

A small number of U.S. companies would face challenges if they’re cut off from Russia. Boeing has long relied on Russian titanium to build its planes but has insisted it can get materials from other countries. Both PepsiCo and McDonald’s get around 4 percent of their sales from Russia and Ukraine.

https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/596200-mul
tinational-us-companies-flee-russia-amid-invasion

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by THG:

Why the enormous scale of financial pain being inflicted on Russia worries some in the West

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/why-the-enormous-scale-of-fina
ncial-pain-being-inflicted-on-russia-worries-some-in-the-west/ar-AAUxvE4?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by THG:
CHINA ANNEXES RUSSIAN LAND

tick tock comrade signym, tick tock...

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by THG:

CHINA ANNEXES RUSSIAN LAND

tick tock comrade signym, tick tock...

T

---

I imagine you would do a simple Google search BEFORE you post nonsense, THUGR! That might save you embarrassment.
No such thing happened!


SIGNYM

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by THG:
Russian Economy About to 'Hit the Ice,' Putin Ally Warns

Russia's economy is about to "hit the ice", billionaire businessman Oleg Deripaska, described as President Vladimir Putin's "favorite oligarch", has warned.

The businessman, whose fortune Forbes estimates at $2.4 billion, issued the warning in a post on his Telegram channel, saying that there is a general drop in commodity prices, including those that Russia exports, and that this could negatively impact the country's economy.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/russian-economy-about-to-hit-t
he-ice-putin-ally-warns/ar-AA1kqucq?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=e9d7e039d21a434d898ababd778af330&ei=103

---

So, why would commodities prices collapse?
Well, possibly bc a large market, the collective west, would collapse first


Too bad for the west that while Russia clearly can function without the west, the west can't function without Russia.



-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by THG:

Russian Economy About to 'Hit the Ice,' Putin Ally Warns

Russia's economy is about to "hit the ice", billionaire businessman Oleg Deripaska, described as President Vladimir Putin's "favorite oligarch", has warned.

The businessman, whose fortune Forbes estimates at $2.4 billion, issued the warning in a post on his Telegram channel, saying that there is a general drop in commodity prices, including those that Russia exports, and that this could negatively impact the country's economy.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/russian-economy-about-to-hit-t
he-ice-putin-ally-warns/ar-AA1kqucq?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=e9d7e039d21a434d898ababd778af330&ei=103

---

So, why would commodities prices collapse?
Well, possibly bc a large market, the collective west, would collapse first

Too bad for the west that while Russia clearly can function without the west, the west can't function without Russia.

- SIGNYM

---

---

T

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

OMG!!! Another even more pointless sanctions package!

Can you see me laughing???

- SIGNYM

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
OMG!!! Another even more pointless sanctions package!
Can you see me laughing???


THUGR: You're not laughing. Your hiding behind lies and propaganda. You never even come close to posting anything truthful.
You, no not laughing, crying.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

OMG!!! Another even more pointless sanctions package!
Can you see me laughing???

THUGR: You're not laughing. Your hiding behind lies and propaganda. You never even come close to posting anything truthful.
You, no not laughing, crying.

---

SIGNYM

---

Quote:

---

How Russia Won the Sanctions War With the West | Opinion
Jan 17, 2024

It is now abundantly clear that Russia has defeated the Western sanctions regime that was intended to cripple its economy and force its withdrawal from Ukraine. Instead of collapsing, the Russian economy is growing rapidly. Russia's GDP grew by an impressive 5.5 percent in the third quarter of 2023. Final figures for the year are not yet in, but Russian GDP growth for all of 2023 should exceed 3 percent. Ironically, the Russians are doing rather better than those who imposed sanctions on them. In 2023, the U.S. economy grew by 2.4 percent while the German economy shrank, and the EU as a whole grew by less than 1 percent. Instead of withdrawing from Ukraine, Russia has increased the size of its invasion force from 190,000 troops in February 2022 to more than 600,000 today.

Between February 2022 and February 2023, Western countries imposed on Russia the most extensive sanctions regime seen since World War II. In all, several thousand sanctions on Russian individuals, businesses, and government institutions caused only a mild recession in 2022 which the Russians quickly turned around. How did they do it? Very simply. The Russians have a lot of gold, grain, oil, and friends, all of which they used effectively to defeat the sanctions. Any realistic war game could have easily predicted all of this.

---

Quote:

---

In March of 2022, G7 member states froze $300 billion in Russian Central Bank reserves, about half of Russia's foreign currency reserves at the time. This was supposed to "turn the ruble into rubble." It did not. Instead, the Russian Central bank moved very quickly to peg the ruble to gold and backed this up with its massive gold reserves and production capacity. The peg was in force for barely three months, but this bought Moscow time to re-orient its energy trade away from Europe and adjust its overall economy to the sanctions.

Life Goes on in Russia
Almost immediately, Russia began to shift its energy trade toward China and India by offering discounts. Today, 90 percent of its crude oil exports go to these two nations. Europe, which used to receive 40 percent of Russian crude oil exports, now receives only 4 percent to 5 percent. To evade Western shipping and insurance sanctions, the Russians have assembled an enormous "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, buying and leasing hundreds of vessels that did not comply with sanctions. According to the International Energy Agency, Russia currently exports 7.5 million barrels of oil per day, only slightly less than Saudi Arabia.

Then the Russians got creative in their sanctions-busting by recruiting friends like Iran, Turkey, China, North Korea, and Kyrgyzstan to help transship high tech goods like microchips, as well as drones and automobiles. For example, imports of Western cars and parts to Kyrgyzstan rose by an amazing 5,500 percent in the first nine months of 2023.

Russia remains the world's largest producer of natural diamonds and a significant diamond exporter. Waves of sanctions have had only a limited effect on its diamond production and revenues. Finally, since the collapse of the Soviet Union's collective farm system, Russia has become the world's largest wheat exporter. Despite Western sanctions, Russia's share of global wheat exports actually increased over the past two years. Thanks to global warming, Russia has just had another bumper grain harvest and hopes for even more grain as Siberia warms. Putin does not care about polar bears. He has plenty.

NATO's wonder-weapons like HIMARS and Leopard tanks failed to fuel an effective Ukrainian counter-offensive. Diplomacy

---

Quote:

---

failed to isolate Russia, which is busy reviewing numerous applications to join it in the BRICS organization. Economic warfare has been a bust. This has led some to now consider the mother of all sanctions.

At present, Russian Central Bank assets have been frozen, which means they cannot be used, but still belong to Russia. Some foreign policy advisors are now proposing that these assets should be confiscated and handed over to Ukraine. Regardless of its legality, that is a very dumb idea. Taking the assets of Russia's central bank would encourage just about everyone to find an alternative to the dollar as their reserve currency. That won't be easy, but if the alternative is losing all your money if you annoy Washington, people will find a way. Nothing would do more to unite the Russian people in their hatred of the West, support for President Vladimir Putin and determination to continue the war than stealing what they consider to be their money; which, in fact, it is. And how do you think Putin would react? Well, for one, he will confiscate all Western assets in Russia. Is the U.S. Treasury prepared to compensate the mostly German owners of those assets for their losses?

---

Quote:

---

Sanctions are cheap and easy to impose, but they seldom work. While they make it look like you are doing something meaningful, they are, in fact, often little more than economic virtue signaling. Economic sanctions have certainly not changed the outcome in Ukraine. Kyiv is out of men, out of money, out of artillery shells and out of time. The West should stop giving money to a man with a hole in his pocket.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
FROM NEWSWEEK

Since major articles NEVER appear in western press without purpose, which elite faction does this represent?

---

Quote:

---

Infographic: US military presence around the world


Upwards of 750 US bases around the world

According to David Vine, ??professor of political anthropology at the American University in Washington, DC, the US had around 750 bases in at least 80 countries as of July 2021.

---

Quote:

---

How Russia Won the Sanctions War With the West | Opinion
Jan 17, 2024

It is now abundantly clear that Russia has defeated the Western sanctions regime that was intended to cripple its economy and force its withdrawal from Ukraine. Instead of collapsing, the Russian economy is growing rapidly. Russia's GDP grew by an impressive 5.5 percent in the third quarter of 2023. Final figures for the year are not yet in, but Russian GDP growth for all of 2023 should exceed 3 percent. Ironically, the Russians are doing rather better than those who imposed sanctions on them. In 2023, the U.S. economy grew by 2.4 percent while the German economy shrank, and the EU as a whole grew by less than 1 percent. Instead of withdrawing from Ukraine, Russia has increased the size of its invasion force from 190,000 troops in February 2022 to more than 600,000 today.

Between February 2022 and February 2023, Western countries imposed on Russia the most extensive sanctions regime seen since World War II. In all, several thousand sanctions on Russian individuals, businesses, and government institutions caused only a mild recession in 2022 which the Russians quickly turned around. How did they do it? Very simply. The Russians have a lot of gold, grain, oil, and friends, all of which they used effectively to defeat the sanctions. Any realistic war game could have easily predicted all of this.

---

Quote:

---

In March of 2022, G7 member states froze $300 billion in Russian Central Bank reserves, about half of Russia's foreign currency reserves at the time. This was supposed to "turn the ruble into rubble." It did not. Instead, the Russian Central bank moved very quickly to peg the ruble to gold and backed this up with its massive gold reserves and production capacity. The peg was in force for barely three months, but this bought Moscow time to re-orient its energy trade away from Europe and adjust its overall economy to the sanctions.

Life Goes on in Russia
Almost immediately, Russia began to shift its energy trade toward China and India by offering discounts. Today, 90 percent of its crude oil exports go to these two nations. Europe, which used to receive 40 percent of Russian crude oil exports, now receives only 4 percent to 5 percent. To evade Western shipping and insurance sanctions, the Russians have assembled an enormous "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, buying and leasing hundreds of vessels that did not comply with sanctions. According to the International Energy Agency, Russia currently exports 7.5 million barrels of oil per day, only slightly less than Saudi Arabia.

Then the Russians got creative in their sanctions-busting by recruiting friends like Iran, Turkey, China, North Korea, and Kyrgyzstan to help transship high tech goods like microchips, as well as drones and automobiles. For example, imports of Western cars and parts to Kyrgyzstan rose by an amazing 5,500 percent in the first nine months of 2023.

Russia remains the world's largest producer of natural diamonds and a significant diamond exporter. Waves of sanctions have had only a limited effect on its diamond production and revenues. Finally, since the collapse of the Soviet Union's collective farm system, Russia has become the world's largest wheat exporter. Despite Western sanctions, Russia's share of global wheat exports actually increased over the past two years. Thanks to global warming, Russia has just had another bumper grain harvest and hopes for even more grain as Siberia warms. Putin does not care about polar bears. He has plenty.

NATO's wonder-weapons like HIMARS and Leopard tanks failed to fuel an effective Ukrainian counter-offensive. Diplomacy

---

Quote:

---

failed to isolate Russia, which is busy reviewing numerous applications to join it in the BRICS organization. Economic warfare has been a bust. This has led some to now consider the mother of all sanctions.

At present, Russian Central Bank assets have been frozen, which means they cannot be used, but still belong to Russia. Some foreign policy advisors are now proposing that these assets should be confiscated and handed over to Ukraine. Regardless of its legality, that is a very dumb idea. Taking the assets of Russia's central bank would encourage just about everyone to find an alternative to the dollar as their reserve currency. That won't be easy, but if the alternative is losing all your money if you annoy Washington, people will find a way. Nothing would do more to unite the Russian people in their hatred of the West, support for President Vladimir Putin and determination to continue the war than stealing what they consider to be their money; which, in fact, it is. And how do you think Putin would react? Well, for one, he will confiscate all Western assets in Russia. Is the U.S. Treasury prepared to compensate the mostly German owners of those assets for their losses?

---

Quote:

---

Sanctions are cheap and easy to impose, but they seldom work. While they make it look like you are doing something meaningful, they are, in fact, often little more than economic virtue signaling. Economic sanctions have certainly not changed the outcome in Ukraine. Kyiv is out of men, out of money, out of artillery shells and out of time. The West should stop giving money to a man with a hole in his pocket.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
FROM NEWSWEEK

Quote:

---

How Russia Won the Sanctions War With the West | Opinion
Jan 17, 2024

---

US adds 17 Liberian-flagged bulk carriers and oil tankers Russian sanctions busting blacklist

'Today’s actions once again demonstrate that anyone who violates the price cap will face the consequences. No one should doubt our coalition’s commitment to stopping those who help the Kremlin,' Adeyemo

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/us-adds-17-liberian-flagged-bu
lk-carriers-and-oil-tankers-russian-sanctions-busting-blacklist/ar-BB1gZ5Zp?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=882b15140dfb430bb06fc57c6065d84e&ei=191

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

Democrats do love them some unconstitutional wars.

They just can't seem to get around to declaring an emergency for the invasion at our own border though.

They'll be happy spending hundreds of billions of dollars housing, feeding and giving healthcare and school to illegal alien invaders while telling us that Social Security is going to fail before we retire.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by THG:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

Democrats do love them some unconstitutional wars.

They just can't seem to get around to declaring an emergency for the invasion at our own border though.

They'll be happy spending hundreds of billions of dollars housing, feeding and giving healthcare and school to illegal alien invaders while telling us that Social Security is going to fail before we retire.

---

---

It's not their fault all your teeth rotted out of your head so you have to gum your food. Give it a rest.

T

Quote:

---

Originally posted by second:
No, Russia Is Not Winning

---