The West
© Stalker Zone Org
There are a number of reasons - both external and internal -why Russia is in no hurry with its military special operation in Ukraine. Knowing them, one understands everything.

The use by the United States and Europe of the terrorist Ukraine they nurtured as "bait" for Russia has led to the situation described in the popular joke about a hunter and a bear: it is not clear who is holding whom. Either the bear is keeping the hunter, or the hunter is keeping the bear. And if at first it seemed to many in the West that Russia had fallen into a trap when Moscow's plan to change the regime in Ukraine to a friendly - or at least neutral - one failed by the beginning of March, now there is a sobering up. Former "partners" are beginning to understand: it is the West that has really fallen into a trap.

Russia, on the other hand, has opened a window of unprecedented opportunities - along with a sense of its own strength and a determination to live for itself and its own mind in the future. This was made possible by the clash with the West in Ukraine, where it was better not to rush, and not so much for tactical reasons as for strategic ones. Because prolonging the war in Ukraine allows Moscow to carry out the severance with the West, without which Russia will not be able to develop normally, without being reversible. It weakens, first of all, Europe and the United States, discredits them in the eyes of the rest of the world, undermining the basis of the economic and financial power of the West.

Europe's Suicide

Speaking on May 17 at a meeting on the situation in the oil industry, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin called the policy of European countries in the energy sector "economic auto-da-fé"," suicidal". Because, breaking off cooperation with Russia, whose income in this area has increased dramatically due to the rapid rise in prices, Europe systematically, in the long term, becomes the region with the highest cost of energy resources in the world.

This, Putin stressed, will negatively affect the competitiveness of European industry and deprive the continent of the opportunity to increase economic activity. The Russian president does not feel sorry for Europe, because its politics are its business. But what matters is what Putin said next: "Russia must act pragmatically and proceed primarily from its own economic interests." He promised that Moscow will "act ahead of time, turn the ill-conceived, chaotic steps of 'Western countries' to its advantage". The Russian president even regretted that it was impossible to hope that there will be endless mistakes, one just needs to proceed pragmatically from the realities.

Indeed, there is a problem here. Brussels, for example, is very eager to adopt the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, which provides for the refusal of 27 EU countries to purchase Russian oil for six months and stop importing petroleum products by the end of the year, which will undermine its economy and deal a powerful blow to living standards and social stability. But it can no longer, because in Europe (let's recall Hungary) not everyone has lost their heads, although the crazy ones are already talking about a seventh package...

The numbers confirm it

What did Putin mean by the insane anti-Russian policy of the West, which is constantly shooting itself in the feet? The fact that inflation in the euro area continues to set records. As was reported in the report of the European Commission (EC) dated May 16, prices in annual terms increased from 4.6% in the fourth quarter of 2021 to 6.1% in the first quarter of 2022. According to the results of the second quarter of 2022, inflation rose to 6.9%. The euro zone's overall inflation rate for April 2022 was 7.5%, which is the highest in its entire history, the EC admits. It is predicted that inflation in the euro area by the end of 2022 will be 6.8%, which is 2 times higher than the actual indicator of the "COVID" 2021 year. Hatred and rejection of Russia will have to be paid for, and very dearly.

In Europe's leading economy, the country most affected by severance with Russia - Germany, according to its statistics office, inflation reached 7.3% in March. This is a record for the last 40 years. The last time such a level of inflation in Germany was observed in the fall of 1981 due to the consequences of the Iran-Iraq war. Interestingly, in February of this year, inflation in Germany was 5.1%, and in January-4.9%. That is, the growth, as we can see, is primarily caused by events in and around Ukraine, and this is just the beginning. Fuel oil and fuel prices in Germany also showed the highest annual growth in the last 50 years. On April 20, the Federal Statistical Office of Germany reported:
Such events have so far been observed only in connection with the two oil crises of 1974 and 1980 and the financial-market and economic crisis of 2008-2009. However, in none of these crises was the year-on-year increase in consumer fuel prices higher than in March 2022.
German statisticians have directly linked this phenomenon to the conflict in Ukraine.

This is truly impressive: over the past year, the price of premium gasoline has increased by 41.9%, diesel fuel - by 62.6%, light fuel oil - by 144%, and on average, motor fuel has risen in price by 47.4%. It is not surprising, therefore, that everything in Germany is rapidly becoming more expensive. According to the "Focus" publication, electricity costs for enterprises increased by almost 70% compared to last year, while prices for coal, wood, fertilisers and wheat increased by more than 20-25%. Whether there will be more: when at the end of the year the burghers receive a recalculation for utilities, it will be a real disaster for the country. And the same will happen in other leading European countries. At the same time, the total package of EU "assistance" to Ukraine is €2 billion!

In short, Europeans are ruining themselves and throwing money away so that they can continue to live with their belts tightened at the mercy of those who can - or can't - provide them with expensive energy sources. Will Europe, which is getting poorer and packed with illegal migrants hoping for something completely different, stand up to this - both the people and its political class? There are big doubts about this. In Russia, of course, inflation has also increased and a difficult transition period is ahead, but our pain threshold is historically much higher. Russians will definitely survive, knowing that they are now working for themselves and their country, which will become richer and better in the foreseeable future. The Europeans have no bright prospects at all.

It will not be sweet for the United States either

In fact, the situation in the United States is not much better. Under Joe Biden inflation has reached a 40-year high in his 14 months in power. Fuel prices have skyrocketed despite the authorities' discovery of oil reserves. An American friend complained that when he went to the store to buy a refrigerator, he got "an almost communist experience": instead of about 20 brands, as before, there were only three available, from which he had to choose. The recession that has actually occurred in the United States is less related to Washington's attempts to "weaken" Russia with the war in Ukraine, and more to the growing trade war with China.

However, Ukraine also contributed to the American crisis, which the Republican senator Rand Paul, slowing down the allocation of almost $40 billion to Kiev (in fact, to the American military-industrial complex, lobbyists in Congress and thieving Ukrainian officials), did not fail to mention. The senator, whose example is being taken by more and more Republican politicians, justified his position by saying that "the biggest threat to the United States today is the national debt, inflation and the collapse of the dollar", the situation with illegal migration on the southern borders, and not Ukraine. Because Americans can no longer afford to play the role of the world's gendarme to the detriment of their budget. Nevertheless, Ukraine has become the world's largest recipient of US "military aid", surpassing Egypt and even Israel in this list.

According to the Washington Post, the United States spent about $2.7 billion on these goals from 2014 to 2021. However, since the beginning of the Russian military special operation in Ukraine, the volume of this "aid" has amounted to 3.8 billion. Half of the new package (Ukrainians will have to pay for everything if Ukraine survives) in the amount of $40.1 billion falls on military needs. All this, frankly, is down the drain as well as similar, even greater "aid" to puppet Afghanistan. We repeat, American and local corrupt officials and the overseas military-industrial complex profit from this. But this money will definitely not go to hypersonics, "star wars" and so on, and in part - in the form of trophies - in general will go to Russia.

What about Russia?

Of course, living in an era of change is always difficult, although interesting. The whole point here is that it is impossible to get out of fate. But it is important to understand whether we are moving up or down with our country. When one reads the news that, as was stated by the Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin, "the government is launching a federal project to create 30 advanced engineering schools at university sites in various regions of the country" in order to "achieve technological independence in the shortest possible time" on the basis of a "strong and diversified industry", one understands that in Russia everything is all right. And that the West in this matter, seeking to harm us, in fact helps us.

And here is more news from the same series, appearing constantly after February 24. The Government Commission on Legislative Activity has approved a second package of measures to support the economy, including one of the mechanisms for nationalising the property of foreign companies leaving the Russian market. It allows the court to introduce external administration in organisations where more than 25% of the shares are owned by foreign persons of unfriendly states, in the event of termination of activities. This is bankruptcy protection and a measure to save jobs. Everything is spelled out clearly and clearly: it was yours - it became ours.

Bloomberg called the ruble the best currency in terms of strengthening against the dollar. The real effective exchange rate of the ruble against foreign currencies increased by about 34% in April this year, according to the Central Bank. A strong ruble is beneficial to consumers, as it means less inflation, especially "import", and is an excellent help for domestic producers in terms of developing domestic production and import substitution. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has agreed on a list of goods and brands that can be imported into the country without the consent of the manufacturer. Some product categories are allowed to be imported in full.

This is necessary to provide the population and businesses with the necessary goods and components. The Ministry of Industry and Trade offered to sell 50 product groups without the permission of the copyright holder. Among them are ready-made consumer products and components for cars. These include textiles, leather goods, clothing, perfumes, equipment, telephones, computers, audio and video equipment, and vehicles produced by leading foreign companies. In total, the document lists 200 items and categories.

And how can one not be happy that President Putin has signed a law that gives the government extraordinary powers to use foreign patents or inventions if it is necessary to protect the health of citizens? Corresponding amendments were made to Article 1360 of the Civil Code of Russia. And Prime Minister Mishustin signed government decree No. 299, which allows not to pay compensation to patent owners if they are associated with countries that are unfriendly to Russia, of which there are about fifty.

And this is quite fresh. The French automobile group Renault decided to abandon its assets in Russia due to sanctions. Its president, Jean-Dominique Senard, called the decision "very difficult". The Russian response was not long in coming.

"A foreign owner decided to close the Moscow Renault plant. This is their right, but we cannot allow thousands of employees to remain unemployed. Therefore, I decided to take the plant to the city's balance sheet and resume production of passenger cars under the historic Moskvich brand," the Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced.

According to him, the city will try to retain most of the staff working directly at the plant, as well as at related enterprises, and "KamAZ" PJSC will become the main technological partner of the Moscow Automobile Plant "Moskvich". At the first stage, the production of classic cars with an internal combustion engine will be organised, and electric cars will be produced in the future.

Summing up the results

In short, dear Westerners, you have "frozen" half of Russia's gold reserves and are thinking of stealing them? Receive! He who sows the wind will reap the storm. Did you have Russia until February 24 as an economic semi-colony, siphoning off its wealth and resources? Receive a Russian manufacturer! Have you declared a hybrid war on Russia, my dear friends, for refusing to tolerate the terrorist state created by you, dear ones, at your side? Receive a "response" here as well! That is why people do not take to the streets in Russia and demand that the government end the war. Because everyone believed in the government and, most importantly, the future of Russia. Therefore, we are fighting in Ukraine methodically and slowly, waiting for the UAF and other nazis to "float away".

With the surrender of "Azovstal", this will soon begin. All attention is now on Donbass, which will become the grave of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the coming weeks. But Russia is still in no hurry, "taking care of the guys", leaving negotiations with Kiev to coordinate technical issues and until complete surrender. Let the United States and the West as a whole pump in tens of billions of dollars and euros to "help" Ukraine. The more Russia's former "partners" weaken themselves, the less efficiently they spend their resources. The longer the hybrid war declared by Russia under the pretext of Ukraine continues, the more resolutely Moscow will server ties with the West.

For Ukraine, what is happening is of great educational importance: it is impossible to become a tool in foreign, hostile hands. Being anti-Russia is punishable. Its industry has collapsed by almost half. A real famine is coming, aggravated by the criminal export of Ukrainian grain to the West in these conditions - there will be no bread in the country, but also livestock that has nothing to grave on. What will you eat in a few months, how will you heat your homes in the autumn and winter, not to mention industrial enterprises and nuclear power plants, many of which will simply get up? In the former Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, life will be a paradise compared to those controlled by Kiev. One day, both in Europe and in Ukraine, everyone will understand that supporting Kiev is a losing, unprofitable and hopeless cause. But it will be too late.

So what?

Everything will finally become clear in Ukraine closer to winter, which it will not survive without Russia. At the same time, the European countries will be hit by a crisis that they are afraid to think about. Having significant domestic resources, the US market will not be much impoverished. American moneybags will even earn something, as always, from the war, and enrich themselves by buying up the assets of Europe ruined by severance with Russia. The EU will have a very difficult time, it may not survive this mess. And it will be even more so for the current Ukraine - it will definitely not survive. The "expendable material" that Ukraine is currently for the West will inevitably end. Russia will also earn money on the restoration and development of the new Ukraine. Ukraine as part of Russia is the only way out for Ukrainians in order to not be out of pocket.