Russia is currently suffering from more than 10,000 sanctions imposed on it by a group of countries led by the United States. Never in history has any country been subjected to so many sanctions. Under the sanctions, which industries in Russia are affected? Has life in Russia changed? How do they feel about it?
The website of Russia Today TV published a report on June 29, entitled “The West’s futile stupidity: Why sanctions against Russia have not worked in the past and will not work in the future.” The article said that the Russian government understands that the Russians are willing to “tighten their belts”, so they are not afraid to admit the difficulties ahead.
The Russian economy is currently under unprecedented pressure, with more than 10,000 sanctions imposed on it by a group of countries led by the United States. Never in history has any country been subjected to so many sanctions.
The West wants to incite Russians into the streets by sanctioning and withdrawing Western companies, but they simply do not understand the economic structure of the country and the Russians’ understanding of the reasons behind the situation in Ukraine.
More than 60 million employees of foreign companies have been hit hard
, that is, more than half of the adult population in Russia, including retirees, who are economically dependent on the government. Few civil servants, law enforcement officers, soldiers, doctors or teachers “working for the government” are willing to heed the Western call to resign in protest of the situation in Ukraine.
Roman is an employee of a state-owned bank and has worked in the banking sector for nearly 20 years. He said his salary had been increasing steadily until February of this year. He said: “With the sanctions at the bank where I work, no one would say it was easy. But there was no issue of new or old workers being laid off, and there was no reduction in income. There may be little hope of a near-term raise, but it should be There will also be no cuts to monthly salaries and bonuses.”
In this case, working in a Russian government-related business is clearly much more stable than working in a European or American company.
Anna is employed by a large European homeware manufacturer. She said: “The last time I went to the office was March 4. I’ve been working from home for over 4 months and it’s hard to call it work. It’s true that I still get paid, but not in full and barely Work – apart from sending documents to the post office, holding meetings with other employees, etc. But most of all, I am terrified of the unknown. I don’t know when I might be permanently fired and I’ll be out of a job.”
Some Western leaders in the financial industry The company provides employees with 3-month retraining and further overseas employment opportunities. However, given the attitude of the Western labor market towards Russians, many do not see this as a viable option.
Leah was employed by an American financial services company that had ceased operations in Russia. She explained: “They promised to pay my salary in full for the next 6 months. They sent us to Dubai for an unpaid internship. After that, the top performers were referred to the company’s offices around the world. I had to fight because it’s hard to find new jobs in Russian banking right now – no layoffs, but no more hiring. As my friends at recruitment agencies say, they’ve ‘hire freeze’.”
Facts On the other hand, the sanctions on Russia have caused the most pain among the country’s most educated and highest-income mega-city dwellers, who depend more on imported goods and travel abroad for their livelihoods.
The poorer people, who account for nearly a quarter of the country’s residents, are less dependent on imported goods and are less affected.
Russia’s anti-sanction measures are gradually effective
Western sanctions against Russia have indeed brought some changes to the lives of Russians. McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Uniqlo and other brands have suspended operations or withdrawn from the Russian market one after another. Payment platform PayPal has shut down its business in Russia. Many Russians even cannot use mobile phones to pay when taking subways and buses. But the reality shows that Russian local products and services are replacing foreign brands.
The US “New York Times” published an article on June 10 saying that in the face of severe Western sanctions, the Russian economy has shown amazing resilience. For more than three months, measures such as Western sanctions and the withdrawal of Western companies from the Russian market have obviously failed to destroy the Russian economy.
At the beginning of the large-scale escalation of sanctions in the West, Russia’s social and economic life was indeed affected to a certain extent, such as the devaluation of the ruble and the rise in prices. However, with the introduction of a series of countermeasures by the Russian side, the Russian economic order has gradually returned to stability.
Data from the Russian Central Bank showed that domestic price growth slowed from May to early June this year. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 7 that since the second half of May, the upward momentum of domestic prices has been contained.
How Russians View Conflict
Russians ‘ support for government policy is not driven by economic factors, but by the perception that the conflict that is taking place today is not so much a conflict between Russia and Ukraine as it is between Russia and the so-called ” conflict between the Western world”. Many believe that sanctions will be imposed regardless of Russia’s behavior because the West “wants to weaken Russia.”
Peter, a 35-year-old IT company employee, has not lost his optimism and is trying to assess the situation comprehensively: “Russia is conducting a special operation to ensure physical security. Now Russia has a unique historical opportunity to develop its own industry and agriculture. The country has Being able to provide itself with grains, vegetable oil, fish, meat and potatoes. With sanctions, the country will only become stronger in the future.” The
imposition of currency controls played an important role in alleviating panic in the market and the population, strengthening the Confidence in Russia’s economic security has lowered prices for some imported goods and services. Putin’s decision to ask European countries to pay for gas in rubles was also a big factor in boosting demand for the ruble.
Some people benefit directly from this, such as those who want to travel.
Ilya, a 42-year-old construction company employee, noticed a drop in the price of travel to his favorite foreign holiday destination: “Our family of four looked at the price of Turkey travel in March and it was very expensive, so we didn’t go. But now, The strength of the ruble has made our family affordable for a seaside vacation this summer.”
