Putin Rolls The Dice
I like to be the first to admit when I am wrong. I didn’t think that Russia would invade the main part of Ukraine, but now they have.
It seems that Putin is less concerned about any financial repercussions than the many billionaires and millionaires in his country are. And after making a lot of noise about ‘strict sanctions’ last week, those sanctions proved to be rather lukewarm, and ultimately toothless.
This is especially true in the case of Boris Johnson, who made a great deal of the puny sanctions he imposed this week by limiting the activities of three Russian-owned banks in London. Refusing to go after billions of pounds of Russian money invested in property in Britain, he claimed that everyone who owned them was ‘on the electoral register as a UK resident’. This despite the easily-proven fact that most are owned by shell companies fronted by Russian oligarchs and registered in foreign tax havens.
All of this lukewarm response to sanctions must have assured Putin that he was free to do anything he liked, as long as his troops did not cross the border into a NATO-member country. Add to this the constant reports that no western country was prepared to assist Ukraine militarily, other than to supply them with weapons and munitions.
So, the dice has been rolled, and has not yet reached the end of the gaming table.
REDFLAGFLYING 
They should seize the property that wealthy Russians own outside Russia.
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Definitely, Peggy. But they won’t do that in England, as there is too much Russian money tied up in the lucrative property market. Double-standards of course.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Money seems to be the greatest evil when it comes to policy. Warmest regards, Theo
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Whoever said “follow the money” was not wrong, Theo.
Best wishes, Pete.
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If nothing else this should speed up the move to green energy!
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Fuel prices went up here yesterday, and both large supermarkets ran out of all grades of petrol and diesel, due to panic buying. They are probably filling their garages with 5-litre containers again. I hope they catch fire!
Cheers, Pete.
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Same here, our normal price is 5,43 pln as the VAT was scrapped on fuel, yesterday the price went up to 8,00pln in some places to stop people buying it and running out. The Poles are spooked for sure, especially this part of the country. Malina is having a party today and the mothers of two children didn’t want the kids to come as they are worried that something might happen! I will be keeping calm and trying not to get annoyed with all the crazies 🙂
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Moving into Poland might be a ‘country too far’, even for Putin.
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I’m with you on that.
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US gave $650 million in military aid last year….and yet the Ukrainian military is not fairing well at this point…but it is early….makes me wonder who got that cash……chuq
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Same deal with UK military aid. They said they used it fighting insurgents in the Donbass, and now want more. Someone in that country is pocketing a LOT of cash!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Sounds like a minor Putin in the making, huh? chuq
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To be fair that’s not a lot of money in the arms game, about 50 Abram’s tanks at todays rate or 6 Eurofighters, not to mention the money to train. I know Ukraine hasn’t got the best reputation for corruption, but it is much improved in the last 5 or 6 years, more than likely that’s why Putin wanted to put a stop to it, he no longer controlled it.
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Round one to Vlad. As for Boris’ own goal – pathetic!
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True, Jack. That’s what you get for not making good with your threats. Your bluff gets called.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I think we can be pretty confident that whatever Putin does, he will be thinking a few moves ahead, so it’s unlikely that he will be acting on ‘the spur of the moment’. Also, Johnson’s weak action against Russian influence here is easily explainable by the fact that he is unwilling to admit how much Russian money has been contributed to the Tories, for obvious reasons; is he embarrassed about it? Not a chance: I don’t think he knows the meaning of the word. Cheers, Jon.
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Thanks, John. Boris is the very image of ‘entitlement’.
Best wishes, Pete.
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