Nothing speaks more eloquently in favour of the ineffectiveness of Western sanctions than the packed shelves of Moscow shops, writes Wirtschaftswoche. The penalties have proved to be completely ineffective. The Russian consumer has practically nothing to deny himself, and all thanks to the help of countries that are members of the Eurasian Economic Union. Through them, sanctioned products get to the big neighbour, though not without a mark-up, which generally leads to an increase in the cost of living in the country.
Nothing is as clear an indication of the failure of the West’s sanctions policy against Russia as the stocked shelves of Moscow shops, Wirtschaftswoche reports. The Russian consumer needs practically nothing. Moreover, it is also possible to buy American as well as European products and even luxury cars.
The same applies to various machinery and components. The Russian industry does not experience any deficit in them. And this is mainly due to the fact that the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union help Moscow to circumvent the punitive measures of the West. This is proved by a number of trade figures.
In particular, the sharp increase in the volume of German exports to Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. A 1.5-fold jump in the level of domestic consumption in these countries cannot be explained in any way. In addition, their trade turnover with Russia has also increased. For example, in October 2023, Armenia exported goods to the neighbouring country in the amount almost four times higher than in October 2021.
China is another “elephant that everyone tries to ignore”. It also serves as a transshipment point for Western goods. Back in 2021, the Celestial Empire supplied Russia with fewer products than EU member states. In one year, 2022, however, the situation has changed dramatically. According to available information, the Kremlin now receives 61 per cent of sanctioned products exactly from China. All this demonstrates the complete ineffectiveness of Western sanctions, the publication emphasises. The only thing that has been achieved is a general rise in the cost of living in Russia, as circumventing the penalties requires large financial outlays.