Russia and economic war by the west #2

There are still farming towns where they have a toilet but it's just goes to a massive sewage tank that you gotta clean out yourself.

I can show you just the same at any given moment in 0.7mln agglomeration in the middle of the European Union if you wish
This is something that I don't get either.
Figured-out problems, where the side that is figuring them is totally blasted off from daily life.
Lot's of streets inside the municipal borders don't have access to the municipal sewage systems.
You don't "clean it out yourself", but there is a sewage treatment car that runs through the "luxury villa neighborhood" and sucks the shit out of tanks once a month or so.
That applies to Berlin either.
Any given moment, I can show you something much, much better in the same 0.7mln agglomeration. Homes that don't have even that luxury, and people have outside burzhuykas.
"Burzhuyka" is a Russian word spread in the ex-Imperial area and a common name for a wooden made toi toi.
But it is not a chemical toilet, oh no no no!
All pure nature!
You have a hole in a ground under it! Fluid is sucked by earth, and the remains ... well ... There is a river nearby, you know ...
Laughing India? How charming ...
Shocking and unbelievable!

But but but its is warm in Australia, it is different!

Aaaah... you are right, the subject is so bizarre to me that I have mixed things
I'm still a bit dizzy after flu that attacked all my family and kepy hostages for the whole of Xmas and NY.  

No no covid sir, covid no fancy more no sir!


An outdoor toi toi made of wood mostly is named after one minister here.
It is "slavoyka" and is 100 years old anyway     yet still in use.
Both as a name and construction/sanitary object    

But that's the thing, everyone has outhouses and non central plumbing in regions. So it isn't like it's a bad thing and even if datchas in far regions don't have it or plumbing that isn't central isn't a bad thing and isn't exclusive to Russia.
So when people or CBC film it, it just makes them look real dumb.

But sure it does.
Tons of people are using this kind of sanitary measures as cheap and effective. Who can afford to build a sewage system for any fukin village in the middle of Alaska?!?
So the whole thing is a deliberate propaganda strike made by some golden boys&girls, who can't even understand that half of the platen's population won't even understand the message ...

Russia refuted all liberal economics textbooks, by Vladislav Isaev (political scientist) for VZGLYAD. 01.05.2023.

Of course, the fighting in Ukraine is far from over. And the abolition of all the sanctions imposed against Russia is all the more looming in some completely unknown distance. But it is obvious that the economic victory of the West over Russia is out of the picture.

The legendary Chinese strategist Sun Tzu wrote: "War is waged for profit - whoever does not understand this does not understand the essence of war." In his system of values, everything was simple and understandable, and even quite logical - if you can capture more in a war than you spend on it yourself, it’s worth fighting, but if the losses from the war are greater than the expected benefits, then no. True, it was not said how to measure the benefit if you are offered a peace that is worse than war.

Western people readily picked up this idea, because profit for them is the main reason for existence, the highest value and meaning. And they always start wars themselves, carefully choosing the moment and the victim in order to win for sure. However, they understand the benefit too simply, recalculating it into virtual units, which in themselves are worth nothing if they are not provided with real goods that a person can use ...

But if there are no more goods that can be purchased for these virtual units, but there are more and more virtual units themselves, doesn’t this mean that the benefit lies in exchanging as little real values ​​for fictional ones? And wouldn’t it be true in this sense to say that the longer the war lasts, during which there is no exchange of real values ​​for candy wrappers, which, moreover, can be withdrawn at any moment, the greater the profit received by the seller of real goods?

Today, Russia is testing this hypothesis on itself - after all Russian reserves in Western banks and stock exchanges were frozen, after the EU countries and the United States blocked the supply of most of their goods to Russia, and even their own companies operating in Russia were forced curtail business, after they began to reduce purchases of Russian energy, grain, fertilizers and try to limit prices for them.

According to the liberal catechism, on which for decades anyone who worked in the domestic financial sector, whether on the side of the private sector or in state structures, was sworn in, such repression should have led to the rapid and final collapse of the domestic economy. Although, if it were true, the balance of mutual trade would definitely not be in our favor - after all, no one will overpay someone who is forced to sell under fear of complete ruin, and their goods will always be sold to those who have nothing to choose from at maximum prices.

But the creed turned out to be so firmly written on the inner surface of the skull of all our economists that after the start of the SVO, most of them unanimously began to prophesy a terrible future for our economy - a fall in GDP by 8%, inflation at 20%, a threefold fall in the ruble against the dollar. And they were very surprised when this did not happen.

The SVO has been going on for the tenth month already, all possible sanctions have already been introduced against Russia and even sabotage has been carried out on Russian gas pipelines, and the domestic economy still does not want to collapse. At least take it and rewrite all the textbooks with which the HSE and other centers of economic knowledge leveled the convolutions of young adherents of financial sciences.

Moreover, even short-term shocks experienced in the initial period of the conflict due to panic and the disruption of traditional export-import channels are gradually leveling out. The authorities do not have to introduce fixed prices, a rationing system of supply, surplus appropriation, labor service and other delights of "war communism". Moreover, you don’t have to get into a debt loop and flood the market with unsecured money issuance, as was customary in the “holy 90s” and, as a matter of fact, the West has been saving its economy from collapse for the past decade and a half.

The ruble is trading at approximately the same levels as it was at the beginning of the year (although the ministers of the economic bloc would very much like to lower it), the budget for the past months, even with a high ruble exchange rate, remains in surplus. Forecasts of the final decline in GDP even "Bloomberg" has already shifted below 2%, and the final result is likely to be even better. Inflation is also likely to be less than 12%. Moreover, Russia mobilized and recruited volunteers, survived the mass exodus of "frightened patriots", transferred military-industrial complex enterprises to round-the-clock operation - and all this without significant stress for the labor market.

Of course, the fighting in Ukraine is far from over. And the abolition of all the sanctions imposed against Russia is all the more looming in some completely unknown distance. Especially if you remember how many years the Jackson-Vanik amendment was in effect, how many years Cuba, Iran and North Korea have been living under sanctions. But it is obvious that the economic victory of the West over Russia is out of the picture.

And more than one factor came into play. Of course, over the past 8 years, under ever-increasing external pressure, the country has been preparing for such a development of events. A financial infrastructure independent of Western control was created, imported goods were gradually replaced in the domestic market, in particular, agricultural machinery, pipelines and terminals were built to supply gas, oil, coal, metals, grain and fertilizers to the East. The regulator worked out protocols for repelling speculative attacks on the ruble.

But no less important is the backlog that was created back in the days of the USSR, and which has been largely preserved in the last 20 years. Thanks to this, today we can increase military production, the troops do not experience a shortage of ammunition and equipment, which even Soviet generals stocked up in excess for the new World War.

However, the enemy in many ways also fights on Soviet stocks, including those that were transferred by the former socialist countries. But the market economies of the West were not ready for a rapid increase in military production - they have to scoop out the arsenals of their own armies to the very bottom. And this, perhaps, should be taken into account in the further planning of the development of our defense industry.

After all, this war with the West will definitely not be the last. And in the economic context, it never ends.

https://vz.ru/opinions/2023/1/5/1192834.html

It is not that easy bro.
The point is that these things are sealed by a special membrane, that keeps tight no matter the gas volume changes with the temperature or other factors.
Offshore, gas tanks are made with three principal technologies.
The easiest one is the big, round tanks you can see on the decks of ships - it is a Norwegian-originated system.
The second most common is this French one - a tank is filled with a membrane made of low carbon steel or a special invar alloy, spaced from the general tank storage to avoid electric hazard. There are tons of patents applied to that, starting from the alloy composition, the membrane structure, insulation etc.
The third one is Japanese, and called IHI. This one I have never experienced, so won't say a word about that.
Long story short, it is really a very advanced technology applied, and it can be a serious blow on pair with cutting off the engine supply.

Just order the LNG tankers from China or India while the technology is worked out

But you DO realize, that we are talking about a series of tankers designed for a specified technology, right?

Yeah! F*ck ridiculous "Manu" Macron!

Manu has actively participated in the NATO economic war by seizing and freezing Russian assets in the West.
Furthermore he's now sending AMX tanks at Volodymyr's request.
On the other hand, he's engaging in a colonial war against Russia in Africa. 
In French Foreign Affairs he's a bloody hypocrite by persisting with claims for phone calls with Moscow after Merkel's and Hollande's revelations of diplomatic cheating over Minsk agreement, something that he surely was well aware of when requesting VVP to address themselves by their first names.
So why pursue "civilized" relations with him over LNG tank technology and respect patent?

How the French retained the remnants of a prudent approach to Russia, by Valeria Verbinina for VZGLYAD. 01.07.2023.

One of the world's largest producers of green peas - the French company "Bonduelle" - was subjected to fierce criticism at home. She was suspected of supporting and even supplying the Russian army. Is this really so, what keeps Bonduelle and many other Western companies in our country to this day - and why do we have an example of the triumph of long-standing Russian politics?

The French group Bonduelle, a well-known Russian manufacturer of canned and frozen vegetables, found itself in the center of a grandiose scandal in its homeland. And again, Russia is to blame for everything, of course. If you believe the facts presented in the material of one of the French newspapers, it all started with the fact that two photos of parcels with the company logo appeared in the Russian network Vkontakte, in the public of a certain town.

It would seem that there is such a thing? But a curious detail excited everyone - the parcels were allegedly intended for Russian soldiers. The enclosed leaflet wished them, firstly, a happy new year, and secondly, "a speedy victory." In the publication that accompanied the photo of the parcels, it appeared that as many as 10 thousand of them were formed in total.

Progressive humanity, which finds itself in social networks (probably monitors VKontakte public towns of the Russian hinterland day and night), immediately boiled with indignation and began in a completely progressive manner to call on everyone to shoot - sorry, to boycott the company's products.

The representative of "Bonduelle" was forced to come out with a refutation: no, they do not supply canned food to supply the Russian army and are involved only in collecting food for the poorest segments of the population. If what was collected for the poor was somehow redirected to the active army, the company does not bear any responsibility for this.

The original post that caused such an uproar has meanwhile disappeared, leaving the question open as to what is really behind the apparently well-coordinated attack on a well-to-do firm. And the French media got an excuse to once again sigh that not all French business left Russia.

Last year, Auchan was subjected to the most violent attacks , from which they demanded that everything, everything, everything be immediately sold as a sign of protest and proudly retire. But Auchan - 231 stores in Russia, where the group receives 10% of the total income of the network - survived. The management of the network has repeatedly stated that the company is exclusively engaged in the sale of food to the civilian population and has nothing to do with the conflict. The Leroy Merlin network, owned by the same owner, with 112 stores, also did not leave Russia, despite the pressure.

Now a producer of canned peas and corn has been attacked. The situation is difficult for him - when Auchan was attacked, they could only be accused of the fact that the owners do not want to keep up and do not give in to pressure.

In the case of Bonduelle, the accusation is based on the fact that they allegedly support the Russian army. Although any sane person understands that if there was a fact of sale or donation of products, further use of these products - how much will be eaten, by whom exactly, or hung on a Christmas tree in the form of decoration, or stored, or thrown into a landfill - the manufacturer really cannot control at all.

In November, Guillaume Debrosse, director of the Bonduelle group,  said : “We decided to stay in Russia because food production, just like medicine and agriculture, is important for everyone. We do not want a food crisis to be added to the geopolitical crisis. With products from our three Russian factories, we also supply the countries of Central Asia, where 90 million people live ... Our mission is to provide food for the population, not to fight.”

But since the French are a nation that is attentive to details, especially when it comes to money, the material of their BFM channel, without any equivocation, says exactly what Russia means to Bonduelle. This is the number one market for the company. More important than Germany - and even more important than his native France.

Food production in Western countries is now in crisis - in the same interview, Guillaume Debrosse noted that it is facing a tangle of problems that has not been equaled in "twenty-five years". The main problem is inflation, which affects the cost of everything that goes into the production chain, but there are enough worries besides inflation. With fierce competition, declining purchases, strikes at the Bonduelle factories in France, and the complexities of rising energy and packaging prices, it would be suicidal to give up your main market.

It should be noted that, in general, French business demonstrates greater sanity than, for example, American business - and than most Western politicians . In Russia, they remained and continue to work, in addition to Bonduelle, Auchan, Leroy Merlin, Lactalis - and not only them.

Automaker Renault famously left , losing its second-largest market and, consequently, 30% of its revenue. And although Renault initially set conditions for his departure that should facilitate his return, this fact does not console the French at all.

A recent article in Le Monde, with undisguised irritation , describes the return of the Moskvich car, the first copies of which were assembled on the assembly line of the “former Renault factory” (as the article says: it’s clear that there could be nothing for the French before Renault). Most of all, however, the author of the article saddens not the departure of the French business, but the fact that its place, as reported, was immediately taken by the Chinese.

As for the dairy giant Danone, which at one time announced that it would not leave Russia, in the fall it nevertheless decided to leave, announcing that they would leave only the production of children's products. Possible losses - one billion euros, but investors, if you believe this material , are not upset at all, because the Russian market did not meet the expectations placed on it and "has never been a leader in terms of growth." Well, yes, losing 5% of the profits of the entire group - just think, what nonsense! And a prosperous business will surely go to competitors, who, of course, in any case will try not to give it up later.

In France, there is a saying "whoever leaves his place, he loses it." And while some firms are ready to accept losses, those who are seriously integrated into trade cooperation with Russia are not at all ready to succumb to political blackmail at home for the sake of not only dubious, but in principle absent prospects.

The idea of ​​integrating the Russian and European economies was put forward by Vladimir Putin back in the 2000s and developed in detail in his 2010 policy article , more often referred to under the heading appearing in the German translation - "From Lisbon to Vladivostok." The article called for the creation of a "harmonious community of economies from Lisbon to Vladivostok ... and in the future, perhaps a free trade zone and even more advanced forms of economic integration." In reality, this community was actively built, the Russian market was widely opened to foreign (and, above all, European) capital, which brought benefits and profits to all participants.

Now, on the example of French firms, one can see that where Putin's idea of ​​cooperation has prevailed, reason really triumphs. Perhaps it is the realization of this fact that most angers those who throw stones at Bonduelle - and other companies remaining in Russia.

In the same place, where it was decided to sacrifice cooperation, in reality only losses come out, which no one is going to compensate. Because, although it is theoretically possible to sell manufactured products anywhere, in fact, the markets have long been divided and the main players are known without a doubt. Thus, if a company loses its market in Russia, there will simply be nothing to replace it with.

https://vz.ru/world/2023/1/7/1193978.html

The US made a mistake in its attempt to assess Russia's capabilities, 01.08.2023.

Russia has significant benefits to NATO due to the failure of the United States to adequately assess the degree of Russian resources and economic opportunities along with its level of military power, an expert analyzing the Ukrainian conflict believes.

Hassan Nafaa, Al Mayadeen columnist studied the course of the current conflict and distinguished three factors that are part of Russia's strength in the face of the US and its NATO allies. It indicates that Washington failed to anticipate the role that these beneficial points for Russia would play in the confrontation.

The first factor that the author highlighted comes from the consequences of the sanctions imposed on Russia. According to his point of view, "Russia won this round," since the position of the Russian currency "is now stronger" than before the start of the conflict. Meanwhile, the economies of those who chose to impose these sanctions feel the opposite effect, since the sanctions have a negative impact on the economies of Western countries, especially European ones, writes Nafaa.

As a second factor, the author highlights Russia's military capabilities as an advantage and summarizes that "Russia has not deployed all its military power."

The third factor stems more from a combination of political and military dimensions. The degree of cohesion of the alliances of those involved in the conflict varies. In the author's opinion, this became evident especially during the winter period, when the conflict of interests between the US and European states became more obvious. Russia's strategic alliances, for their part, can serve as a backup in case the situation gets out of control.

"As for the United States, the alliance it heads, NATO, risks collapsing, especially if the military confrontation drags on and European countries fail to find alternatives to Russian energy," Nafaa summed up.

Since the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, Western countries have increased sanctions pressure on Moscow, but this has triggered record inflation in the USA and Europe themselves. Due to the rise in fuel prices, especially gas, the European industry has largely lost its competitive advantage, while the American one is gaining ground.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the sanctions dealt a serious blow to the entire world economy, and also noted that the West aims to worsen the lives of millions of people.

According to him, an unprecedented sanctions aggression was unleashed against Moscow aimed at crushing the Russian economy in the short term, "to collapse the national currency, the ruble, through the theft of our foreign exchange reserves and to provoke destructive inflation." However, he stressed, the West's plan did not succeed.

Yandex Translate from Spanish

https://sputniknews.lat/20230108/eeuu-se-equivoco-en-su-intento-de-evaluar-las-capacidades-de-rusia-1134438995.html

EU has reached the limit of its ability to impose sanctions against Russia, 01.12.2023.

According to a source close to the bloc, there is no scope to impose new sanctions this year at the same pace as they were imposed in 2022.

The European Union (EU) does not believe it will be able to impose new sanctions on Moscow this year with the same speed as it did in 2022, a source in the bloc said on Wednesday (11).

"It is becoming more and more difficult to impose new sanctions against Russia, of course, there is not much room for this. Most of the tools have already been used. It can be said with confidence that the volume and speed with which the EU prepared and approved sanctions packages against Russia in 2022 will not be the same this year," the source said.

According to the source, the EU is not discussing a new package of anti-Russian sanctions. The source did not rule out that sooner or later the diamond and nuclear industries may be subject to sanctions.

As the European Commissioner for the environment Virginijus Sinkevičius noted, in December, the EU reached its sanctions limit against Russia. In the future, it will only be possible to detail the restrictions.

After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the West intensified sanctions pressure on Moscow. The EU has already put into force nine packages of sanctions, the last of which was approved on December 16.

All this led, first of all, to an increase in prices for electricity, fuel and food in European countries themselves. As Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized, the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy for the West, but the sanctions were a severe blow to the entire global economy.

According to Putin, the main goal of the United States and its allies is to worsen the lives of millions of people. However, according to the head of State, the strategy failed to undermine Russia's financial stability, and Europe itself came to a dead end.

Yandex Translate from Portuguese

https://sputniknewsbrasil.com.br/20230111/ue-chegou-ao-limite-de-sua-capacidade-de-impor-sancoes-contra-a-russia-26933019.html