Putin ‘sanction-proofed’ Russia’s economy before Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin “sanction-proofed” his country’s economy in the lead-up to the war against Ukraine, says Putin’s Playbook author Rebekah Koffler.

She said Mr Putin has “calculated” how he plans to manipulate the gas flows.

“They are making an ultimatum to Europe saying as you as you maintain the sanctions, Nord Stream is going to be shut down,” she told Sky News host Rowan Dean.

“Well guess what, the Power of Siberia is going to replenish that revenue, potentially, lost by Russia.”

[VeteranfromOz]

Maybe he's not as inept as the western media is saying.

[murrayflewelling]

Yeah he should have focused on having some correlation between Russia being known as having a great getting through sanctions wont mean anything as he continues to have less artillery, less modern weapons....vs an already better will continue to have more....No country faced with conventional sheeling and war crimes has ever that Ukrainian civilians know what Russia has done....odds of them giving Putin anything?....ZERO !

[electro]

Russia has lost nothing.. the people who say this are the same who are saying sanctions are working while they suffer record inflation, energy shortages which have severely affected their economy and shortages in the supply chain, meanwhile Russia's ruble is increasing in value and if you look at social media you can see that they aren't suffering much from sanctions.

[thelimey]

2025 ? This thing is likely to be over in 2023 one way or another...

[photobyTaps]

Putin learned after the Cold War, let the Enemy overspend themselves into bankruptcy. Apparently NATO missed that lesson

[justinsane]

Putin is a chess player, Brandon couldn't win a game of checkers.

[MrJ]

Russia is poised. Russia has now taken control of the strategically important East and South Ukraine, controlling Ukraines export sea routes while at the same time choking Europe's gas and oil reply. Russia also just signed 200 billions dollars deals with China.

[seandelap]

I'm on Putin's and Russia's side in this conflict.

[newsgeekus]

While Putin says that trade with China is making up for lost western trade, the reality is much different. Chinese Russian trade is down 50%. Chinese businesses are concerned with secondary sanctions so erroring on the side of caution and cutting trade.

[fatcat]

You said it right. "small" and "symbolic". Russians had pulled out of Kharkov as ot was not strategic. Its is making further gains elsewhere. It also obliterated the Kherson offensive at the same time causing massive casualties and losses for Ukraine. You pro-Nazi media are sad indeed ....

[genesismiranda]

This author is wrong on so many points, first the gas pipelines going to EU is not connect to the gas pipeplines going to china, to connect the two would be very costly would take at least half a decade because of russia's isolated and hard terrains, with the sanctions expect that be double, can china wait for that? even if russia allocated billions neither russia nor china have the expertise needed for this massive project it is the west that setup russian's gas infrastructure.

Secondly, China's trade with US and EU is at 1.4 trillion dollers china will not jeopardize that, and it is the same reason china's support with russian war with ukraine is ambivalent at best or totally absent. China will use russia for its cheap oil and gas offering and as desperate trade partner, which makes russia just an pawn in china's economic chess board, pawns are easily discarded.

Even by some miracle Power of Siberia 2 is completed on 2030 target it would still be one-third of what used to flow to EU. And Russia is selling it cheap to china, russia will have the short end of the stick in this deal.

[buildmotosykletist]

According to CTGN (CCP propaganda unit) the CCP have reached the limit of their "no limits relationship".

[captainchokdee]

Careful Rowan, never underestimate Russian’s. Historically they are not know to lose a fight. (Afghanistan was a different animal) The sad state of affairs is the 500 to 1000 pour Ukrainian souls are being sacrificed EVERY DAY! It’s like lambs to the slaughter… and it needs to stop now. 😢

[Observer]

I turned the video off the moment she started talking about "psychological profile" of a person she has never met as a means of predicting Russia's next move. When people start telling you about what Putin thinks based on the way he chooses his pens, or try to extrapolate on his health based on how he walks, you know they don't know anything about the subject matter.

[AwakenedOne-qu]

Zelensky keeps killing Ukrainian’s, that’s noble?

[GeneralWinter]

Russia's pull back from kharkiv has allowed the Russians to define snd fortify a new and much stronger Frontline there that is much easier to defend. The Russians were scattered out more when they were advanced deep into kharkiv. Ultimately this is a really weak PR phyrric victory for the ukropes.

[Set-rirs]

No such thing as sanction proofing, only with total isolation and self sufficiency can a nation "sanction proof themselves" and Russia was very far from that as is china, now NK there's one country you may be able to credibly say this.

[robertaurens]

US sanctions rebounded on US and EU eagerly compounded this mistake. What a bunch of fools

[olenaakimova]

Only 20 comments are remaining?
I saw 50!!! Wonder what was 30 about?!?!

[hovstacoolianz]

"Civilian targets"? this girl really loves to parrot whatever US state dept says🤣