Even the often obtuse
Deutsche Welle sees the problem for Vladimir Putin's latest foreign policy gambit;
he's punishing his own people (will they notice?);
Western restrictions on technology transfer and financial
transactions directly target those Russian companies that are close to
the Kremlin. Putin's retaliation, on the other hand, is indiscriminate.
His restrictions on Western products harm many private businesspeople
who have nothing to do with the conflict. Trade in agricultural goods
and food stuffs will suffer significantly, once the sanctions are in
place.
But Putin's sanctions will be particularly harmful to Russian consumers.
Supermarkets will have fewer goods on offer. Consumers will have to dig
deeper into their pockets when buying food. Russian companies alone
can't satisfy consumer demand. The result will be higher prices and a
shortage of goods.
Putin wants to punish the West. But the Kremlin insists defiantly that
the import bans allegedly also serve to stimulate the Russian economy.
Some members of the Russian leadership don't even shy away from making
the comparison to Soviet times. Russia did feed itself back then, too,
after all, they say.
Of course, Russia did not feed itself back in the good ol' day. It had to import wheat from the West, even when it had Ukraine--the breadbasket of Europe--in its clutches.
Going on holiday, for example, is already not as easy as it used to
be. This summer, booking numbers for trips to destinations in the West
have already decreased drastically – partly because Putin banned
government officials from leaving, but above all because many Russians
have been finding themselves worse off financially.
Now, French cheese, Spanish olives, and German chocolate will not even
be accessible at home for many Russians. Perhaps the situation won't get
as bad as it was during Soviet times. But Europe is again becoming this
far-away land for many Russians – just because Putin wants it that way.
Do the Russian people?
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