RUSSIA

A collection of 36 posts

war and peace

Europe is Preparing for War

The majority of Western countries eliminated compulsory military service after the fall of the Berlin Wall (Germany did so in 2011, Spain in 2002). Will it be back to prepare the Europeans for a long war nasty war?

deals

Russian Economic Forum Wraps Up With Billions In Deals

According to the press office of Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev, deals worth $54 billion (3.27 trillion rubles) was signed at the seventh annual Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) this week in Vladivostok, according to TASS. “Investments totaling about 2.7 trillion rubles ($44.2 billion) were made

myanmar

Russia To Cut Ties With The US Over Terror Label

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that diplomatic ties between the two countries will likely completely break down if the hawks in the US Congress succeed in having Washington label Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. “We can cope if Washington decides to completely halt all communication with Moscow. There

RUSSIA

New End Game: Target Russia

On June 25, the war in Ukraine will enter its fifth month and it is now clear that there is a new end-game in the war and it is to destabilise and bring down the government in Russia. Since the war in Ukraine started, the Western world has been in

europe

The new reality of falling Russian gas exports to Europe

Two weeks ago, Russia suspended exports of gas to Poland and Bulgaria. Both countries had refused to make payments for natural gas in Rubles, which the Russian government had requested in response to international sanctions in the context of the invasion of Ukraine. Thus Russian gas is not that invulnerable

European Union

This is how an EU Oil embargo impacts Russia

Oil is where the European Union has more leverage against Russia and in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this could be a major tool to hurt the Russian economy. The Institute of International Finance says while Europe is very dependent on Russian natural gas, the continent has the ability to

Energy

West Europe and Russia will be affected by energy squeeze

Who will pay a heavier price if the Western Europeans decide to proceed with an energy squeeze that has been the topic of debates since the Russian invasion of Ukraine? On April 2, Lithuania became the first EU country to declare that it was completely abandoning Russian gas. The announcement

Dorado

Weaponizing Swift takes centre stage in new normal

MIAMI , FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, March 28, 2022 — With the new normal coming into force with the pandemic retreating into the endemic phase, the world is trading weapons and destruction against trade and the weaponizing of Swift is part of it. This is the view of  Carlos Dorado, president of Italbank

RUSSIA

The U.S. dollar in the wake of unprecedented sanctions

In response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United States, the European Union, and other countries imposed unprecedented economic sanctions on Russia, leveraging the role of the US dollar role as the key global reserve currency. “The use of sanctions does not come without consequences. Investors are increasingly concerned that the

food crisis

Is there a real risk for a global food crisis?

Some governments in Europe are making plans to prepare for a real global food crisis while in some countries the effect is being felt. In France, President Emmanuel Macron used the G7 conference in Brussels to unveil his own “food security programme.” According to Macron, the world is experiencing an

ECONOMY

How will Russia's economy look like in 2022?

The question, after the wide range of sanctions imposed on critical sectors, is how will Russia’s economy perform for the rest of this year? The EU and U.S., together with other countries, have imposed a wide range of measures on critical sectors of the Russian economy as well

economic slump

There is no way to avoid a global economic slump now

According to research conducted by analysts at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, there is no way a global economic slump can be avoided if Russian energy exports is barred globally. They say the world economy is likely to enter a recession if that were to happen and Russian energy

Fuel subsidies

Malaysians will continue to benefit from fuel subsidies

Malaysians will continue to benefit from fuel subsidies as the government says it will continue to protect the people from the impacts of a sharp rise in inflation. Despite rising global oil prices resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war, the authorities will continue to provide subsidies for RON95 and diesel. The

European Union

The EU moved swiftly to hit Russia with sanctions but now..

There is a clear reason why, despite its dislike for Russia, the European Union is not shutting down Russia’s gas pipeline. The West reacted quickly to punish Russia’s economy following its invasion of Ukraine, giving the appearance that Russia will collapse within days as the sanctions pile up.

car-free sundays

This is how to hit Russia's oil sale with car-free sundays

Car-free Sundays in cities, WFH up to three days per week, and adopting cost-effective public transportation are some of the measures to hurt Russia’s oil revenue. These are recommendations presented to the world by the International Energy Agency (IEA), a 10-point action plan intending to reduce oil use. The

dollar

This is why Russia is promoting the yuan

With Russia being officially blocked off from both the US dollar and the euro, the state-owned VTB Bank has given its customers the option of opening Chinese yuan savings accounts with a maximum interest rate of 8%. Russia’s second-largest bank has been battered by Western sanctions aimed at completely

RUSSIA

Big blow for Swift as UnionPay comes to Russia's rescue

Not long ago, a Swift ban of Russian banks would have spelt trouble for everyone in the country but today UnionPay is at the rescue. On Sunday, several Russian banks announced plans to start issuing cards using the Chinese UnionPay card operator system. The rebuke of the Western nation’s

Pakistan

This is why Pakistan defied the world for Russia deal

There is a good reason why Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan decided to defy the world to get natural gas from Russia. While this secures Russia’s continuous sale of the precious item which is the subject of much debate in the EU, it also allows Khan to leverage

gas

This is how Russian gas cut will put the EU on the defensive

What does the sanctions on Russia mean for the European Union in particular since the region imports a large quantity of gas from Moscow? Ukraine was hit by a barrage of missiles, artillery, and airstrikes, as Russian soldiers advanced from bases in Belarus onto Kyiv, the country’s capital. Ukraine’

europe

This is how Europe can replace Russia's gas flow?

The US is putting pressure on Europe to replace Russian gas with gas from other countries but there is no way Europe can immediately end Russia’s gas flow. However, a ban on Russian gas will not make economic sense for certain European nations, and there may not be enough

impact

This is why sanctions on Russia will have little impact

Washington, D.C. (AP) — Sanctions have historically been employed by the United States as a political and military tool to punish opponents and foes. It can sometimes have the desired effect of causing economic turmoil in the target country. However, at times, these punishments demonstrate the pitiless mentality of the

china

Myanmar: New $2.5b LNG power plant is biggest FDI

NAY PYI TAW, MM, Jan 27, 2022 – Foreign investments approved in the past year include a USD 2.5 billion project for the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant in Myanmar. Other than that, the military junta has approved USD 3.82 billion equivalent in foreign investments

RUSSIA

The build-up of Russian Troops On Ukraine's Border Worries US-UK

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of the G7 Foreign And Development Ministers’ Meeting in Liverpool and both says Russia’s build-up of troops on Ukraine’s border is worrisome. “Both agreed their support for Ukraine and expressed deep concern about the build-up

missile

The Problem of Space Debris is Becoming Dangerous

California, Saturday, Nov 27, 2021: On Monday, Nov 15, Russia carried out a weapons test in space, shooting down one of its Soviet-era satellites. As a result, more than 1,500 pieces of trackable debris were launched into space. This forced astronauts on the International Space Station to take refuge

Mufti of Moscow to investigate if Sputnik V vaccines are halal

After explaining to the Mufti of Moscow the composition of the Sputnik V vaccine, the latter will investigate whether the Muslims in Russia can get vaccinated. The Mufti of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, says  Muslims are wary of COVID-19 vaccines.  “The clergy intends to investigate the safety of the vaccine and