Occupied Meilitopol
Rising irritation here with the Americans not wanting to sanction Russian oil because of the effect on fuel prices. As long as Russia is able to realize value from higher oil prices, they have a natural hedge against all the other sanctions. The US and Britain talked a great game a month ago, but both have shied away from taking the most concrete steps that would actually cost them - the Americans need Russian oil as a price stabilizer, and the City needs Russian oligarch capital.
I’m not sure about the dependency on Oligarch capital. The government is taking action though, even before the invasion.
It is taking some, much as the US is. But did Johnson not mis-state the facts to the Commons, saying that Abramovich was himself subject to some of these sanctions?
I tried to critisise this on twitter, under a Washington post piece on sanctions, but got quickly attacked by some 20 odd Biden cultists. It’s impossible to have a conversation about anything critical of the US with Americans on twitter due to the hyper partisan political climate over there. Either they are imbeciles and super pro Trump, or they are completely uncritically behind everything Biden does. No middle ground allowed. Anti intellectual and absurd.
Agreed - lots of great sounding stuff in the State of the Union, but not a great deal of substance. If there aren’t announcements today, I will be rather disappointed. Going after the oligarchs is low-hanging fruit for the US.
Well, I am not going to bother trying to discuss anything like that with strangers from the US again. I had to mute my own thread because I kept getting notifications from Team Defenders of Everything Biden, sprinkled with an odd idiot here and there who popped in to say how nothing like this would have happened if Big Don Corleone Trump was at the helm. Talk about waste of time.
Probably! 
But Johnson bumbling, fortunately, isn’t the same as the UK not taking meaningful action.
To be clear, I am not saying that the UK is not taking meaningful action. I’d put the UK higher up the league table than the US in that regard. Just that some fairly effective levers remain to be pulled. A close advisor of Putin’s should not be in a position to offer up a billion pound asset to a Swiss billionaire right now.
UK is taking action. Has also given Ukraine important weapons. UK is doing important things. But sanctions compared to EU has been disappointing unfortunately. I understand that the UK wants to protect its economy, but that is the same for everyone.
I’ll be clear, the UK is saying they are taking meaningful actions but in reality they are not. A few examples;
Ukrainian refugees - Still being forced to follow our visa process and people being refused entry under the guise of “we think Russians are trying to infiltrate the UK bs”
Oligarchs - Nothing has been seized, just warnings giving them plenty of time to sell off assets.
This is typical of our current governmant, Trumpism statements and then doing the opposite in reality. The Tory party is basically RussiaLite, they are knee deep in Russian money. London is half owned by Russians.
Had a long ass day and this thread is just as depressing. Can’t imagine how it must be to keep morale up for the defenders.
This shelling of residential areas is hard to watch. Graphic:
https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1499022073733201921
All this military aid to Ukraine is great however in a couple of weeks we know that Russia will meet it’s targets.
So ‘we’ have a couple of weeks to organise humanitarian aid, food, water and fuel. This is going to have to be monumental to prevent a humanitarian disaster imo. Things to factor in is how to get aid in when the occupying forces are against you, will probably confiscate much for themselves. Military style logistics will be necessary yet the military will not be able to be used …
We have heard water supplies have been cut off for example but not how, even if it is just the Russians turning the tap off after the war we can not be sure the supplied water will be safe to drink.
Some how Europe will have to work with Russia to supply the basics imo this will be really difficult and a big problem is noone seems to be talking about this potential humanitarian catastrophe.
What are your thoughts @Magnus ?
Perhaps I am wrong and there are people of influence already talking and planning for this, just doesn’t appear so here behind my computer.
It feels like leapfrog at the moment or one-upmanship (which I guess is a really good thing). The UK seems to consistently take the first step; sanctioning Russian banks, oligarchs, closing airspace, closing its ports, sending military, financial, and humanitarian aid, pushing for Russia’s exclusion from swift etc.
Then the EU or other individual nations then subsequently do the same but go further. Making the UK’s sanctions look smaller in comparison.
I like it. Everyone should keep trying to outdo each other in how much they can fuck with the Russian establishment.