BBC - How badly will Russia be hit by new sanctions?

[BlueWavePsych]

Perhaps even more damaging to Russia than shutting it out of Swift is a move to isolate Russia's central bank. Preventing it from using its $630bn international dollar reserves to support the rouble could see its value collapse with dire consequences for the Russian economy.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60543995

[Danascot]

1. Unless Russian exports of oil and gas are curtailed,

The sanctions imposed so far won't be enough to really hurt.

A few days ago Ukraine was saying the two sanctions they wanted most was to cut Russia off from Swift and to sanction Russian oil and gas exports. Swift is going into effect but gas and oil is more problematic.

The problem is that if Russian oil and gas are sanctioned, the price of all fossil fuels will skyrocket worldwide. Just in the US, the GQP would have no problem convincing many Americans that Biden is to blame for higher gas prices at the pump and heating fuel and therefore the dems should be voted out. They're doing just that already.

The article below says cutting off Russian oil and gas exports "would take years" to have an effect. We all know Americans for the most part won't put up with much higher fuel prices for long.

There’s an elephant in the room. Since Thursday, when Russian troops stormed into Ukraine, the U.S., the E.U., and their allies have announced a raft of sanctions designed to hurt Russia’s economy and financial system, and make President Vladimir Putin reconsider his invasion. But measures targeting exports of oil and gas, which provided 36% of Russia’s national budget last year, are conspicuously absent from the public discussion.

Some Ukrainians are not happy. “We need real sanctions, not just some problems for Putin’s friends,” Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenco said in a video posted to Twitter Thursday. “We need an embargo on Russian gas and oil because every barrel of Russian oil and every cubic meter of Russian gas is now full of the blood of Ukrainians.“

https://time.com/6151493/russia-oil-gas-embargo-sanctions-ukraine/

[Igel]

2. Ukrainian partisans have a task.

They can shut off and then destroy every gas pipeline through their territory before they exit Ukr space. If there are oil pipelines--doubtful, but I dunno--then ditto.

Europe won't stop the flow of gas, stop the flow of gas for Europe.

Blame it on the Russians.

I've always thought that the worst/best thing you can do for the self-righteous is make them live up to the standards they want for other. "Hey, you want net-zero carbon. Enjoy!"

"Hey, you want credit for hurting the Poutine! Enjoy!"

It's a 2fer. "You're being virtuous. Hurting Putinism *and* curtailing climate change. Feel doubly good. And spring's coming, so you don't have to wear two sweaters to work!"