Spoiler: The export sanctions are working even though the Kremlin says the opposite. The fact that increasing oil prices have increased russia’s current account is not a sign of success. russia’s imports have decreased drastically due to export sanctions on products that russia needs to kill civilian Ukrainians. The plunging imports are also due to non-sanctioning countries’ hesitation to export to russia because of fear of being on the wrong side of history.

But more export sanctions are necessary. Most export sanctions refer to high-technology products that can be used to kill Ukrainians. That is not enough. Not only chips and electronic components are used in the weapons and weapons systems that putin uses to kill Ukrainians. Also plastics, rubber, metals, textiles and other types of materials are needed.

Including also such products in the export sanctions will make it even more difficult for putin to fight his genocidal war. And secondary sanctions should be imposed to prevent other countries to use sanctioned countries’ products in exports

Imposing secondary sanctions are important because weapons are made by different industries located all over the world. The production in global value chains makes putin’s industries more sensitive for sanctions. By excluding products from global value chains reaching russia, russian industries’ abilities to produce more weapons will be severely limited.

Spoiler: Today, 3rd of May, is World Press Freedom Day 2022. Press freedom is under duress in many countries and journalists are being harassed, jailed and killed by authoritarian regimes.It’s not getting better. It’s getting worse.

And Russia is among the worst places to be a journalist. From the web site of Reporters Without Borders:

“The situation is classified as “very bad” in a record number of 28 countries in this year’s Index, while 12 countries, including Belarus (153rd) and Russia (155th), are on the Index’s red list (indicating “very bad” press freedom situations) on the map. The world’s 10 worst countries for press freedom include Myanmar (176th), where the February 2021 coup d’état set press freedom back by 10 years, as well as China, Turkmenistan (177th), Iran (178th), Eritrea (179th) and North Korea (180th).”

Following Putin’s war against Ukraine, he also extends his war against the free press in Ukraine. His orcs are abducting, arresting, murdering and torturing journalists inside Ukraine. The situation for the media in Russia is approaching the situation in North Korea.

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