cracks in the foundation: Putin gets real pushback on Moscow state TV and Putin's energy weapon in EU has failed. Time to break the back of the snake
The ground is shifting,. First the EU has survived Putin energy blackmail. Secondly Russian state TV in Moscow had a major program stating that the special operation was and is a disaster
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For much of the past year, and since his invasion of Ukraine last February, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been riding high on his supposed energy?omnipotence, holding the global economy hostage to his whims. Since last summer, Putin has choked off natural gas supplies to Europe,?hoping?that Europeans, shivering and without heat during the winter, would?turn?on their leaders and make it politically infeasible to continue support for Ukraine.
The threat was potent: In 2021, a whopping?83 percent?of Russian gas was exported to Europe. Russia’s total global exports of 7 million barrels of oil a day and 200 billion cubic meters (bcm) of piped gas a year accounted for about half of its federal revenue. Even more importantly, Russia’s commodities exports played a crucial role in global supply chains: Europe was reliant on Russia for 46 percent of its total gas supply, with comparable levels of dependence on other Russian products including metals and fertilizer.
Now, as we approach the one-year anniversary of Putin’s invasion, it is apparent that Russia has permanently forfeited its erstwhile economic might in the global marketplace.
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also
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Boris Nadezhdin, an opposition politician and Moscow municipal deputy who has opposed the invasion of Ukraine, then gave his take.
"Certainly the personal courage and heroism shown by Russian MPs, soldier officers absolutely does not justify the fact that the special military operation was a disastrous mistake and that it is a senseless situation leading the country to a dead end," said Nadezhdin according to a transcript accompanying the clip.
The on-screen graphic described Nadezhdin as president of the institute of regional projects and legislation. He said although there was "courage" on display, "at the front, the other story is the catastrophic mistake of the political leadership."
In comments accompanying his tweet, Gerashchenko wrote that the "'special military operation' was a disastrous mistake and it is a senseless situation leading the country to a dead end.' Are they trying to tell the Russian population something?"
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Time to break the back of the snake.
DO IT
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/01/19/russia-ukraine-economy-europe-energy/
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The World Economy No Longer Needs Russia
With alternative sources in place, Putin’s attempt at blackmailing Europe on energy has failed.
By?Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the Lester Crown professor in management practice and a senior associate dean at the Yale School of Management, and?Steven Tian, the director of research at the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute.
JANUARY 19, 2023, 10:38 AM
For much of the past year, and since his invasion of Ukraine last February, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been riding high on his supposed energy?omnipotence, holding the global economy hostage to his whims. Since last summer, Putin has choked off natural gas supplies to Europe,?hoping?that Europeans, shivering and without heat during the winter, would?turn?on their leaders and make it politically infeasible to continue support for Ukraine.
The threat was potent: In 2021, a whopping?83 percent?of Russian gas was exported to Europe. Russia’s total global exports of 7 million barrels of oil a day and 200 billion cubic meters (bcm) of piped gas a year accounted for about half of its federal revenue. Even more importantly, Russia’s commodities exports played a crucial role in global supply chains: Europe was reliant on Russia for 46 percent of its total gas supply, with comparable levels of dependence on other Russian products including metals and fertilizer.
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Now, as we approach the one-year anniversary of Putin’s invasion, it is apparent that Russia has permanently forfeited its erstwhile economic might in the global marketplace.
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https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-nadezhin-war-mistake-disastrous-1775016
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Russian State TV Guest Admits War Was a 'Disastrous Mistake'
BY?BRENDAN COLE?ON 1/19/23 AT 9:50 AM EST
Aguest on Russian state television has expressed an opinion not often heard on the airwaves in his country as he criticized Moscow's invasion of Ukraine as leading Russia to a "dead end."
Wednesday's episode of current affairs show?Mesto Vstrechi?(Meeting Place) on the NTV channel discussed the latest situation in Ukraine, a clip of which was tweeted by Ukrainian internal affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko.
The studio screen title "winter of anxiety" outlined the theme of the show in which the guests discussed whether Kyiv is preparing for an offensive, whether military service should be mandatory for Russian officials and the fate of Duma deputies on the front line.
Boris Nadezhdin, an opposition politician and Moscow municipal deputy who has opposed the invasion of Ukraine, then gave his take.
"Certainly the personal courage and heroism shown by Russian MPs, soldier officers absolutely does not justify the fact that the special military operation was a disastrous mistake and that it is a senseless situation leading the country to a dead end," said Nadezhdin according to a transcript accompanying the clip.
The on-screen graphic described Nadezhdin as president of the institute of regional projects and legislation. He said although there was "courage" on display, "at the front, the other story is the catastrophic mistake of the political leadership."
In comments accompanying his tweet, Gerashchenko wrote that the "'special military operation' was a disastrous mistake and it is a senseless situation leading the country to a dead end.' Are they trying to tell the Russian population something?"
Nadezhdin was an ally of the opposition leader Boris Nemtsov who was murdered in 2015 in front of the Kremlin. He has previously criticized Russia's actions in Ukraine and called for peace talks aimed at halting the war.
Separately, Kremlin spokesman?Dmitry Peskov?responded on Thursday to reports that the U.S. might facilitate Kyiv in making a strikes on Crimea. It follows a?New York Times?report suggesting that the Biden administration was becoming open to the idea that Kyiv target the peninsula that Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.
"This will mean raising the conflict to a new level that will not bode well for European security," Peskov said, adding that any such strikes would be "extremely dangerous."
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Andrew Beckwith, PhD