Russian sanctions - Revision history

RobSmith: /* Seizure of Russian assets */

2026-07-23T05:44:25Z

Seizure of Russian assets

RobSmith at 01:40, February 16, 2026

2026-02-16T01:40:32Z

RobSmith at 01:39, February 16, 2026

2026-02-16T01:39:57Z

RobSmith: /* Seizure of Russian assets */

2026-01-15T06:24:06Z

Seizure of Russian assets

RobSmith: /* See also */

2025-12-21T06:59:24Z

RobSmith: /* Seizure of Russian assets */

2025-12-18T21:11:59Z

Seizure of Russian assets

RobSmith: /* Seizure of Russian assets */

2025-10-25T01:37:17Z

Seizure of Russian assets

RobSmith: /* See also */

2025-10-03T07:17:12Z

RobSmith: /* Seizure of Russian assets */

2025-10-03T07:15:41Z

Seizure of Russian assets

RobSmith: /* Seizure of Russian assets */

2025-09-27T19:24:30Z

Seizure of Russian assets

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 Such extensive assistance will require budgetary guarantees from member states. Those [[bilateral]] guarantees should, as soon as the next Multiannual Financial Framework is in place in 2028, be replaced by collateralisation under the EU's long-term budget."}}
-What sounds like [[AI]] slop is not Merz' own idea but a plan that had been proffered earlier by the [[EU Commission]]. {{quotebox-float|Frustration has been building in EU capitals around the lack of details surrounding the so-called [[reparations]] [[loan]], which Commission President [[Ursula von der Leyen]] first pitched in her State of the European Union speech Sept. 10 [2025].
+What sounds like [[AI slop]] is not Merz' own idea but a plan that had been proffered earlier by the [[EU Commission]]. {{quotebox-float|Frustration has been building in EU capitals around the lack of details surrounding the so-called [[reparations]] [[loan]], which Commission President [[Ursula von der Leyen]] first pitched in her State of the European Union speech Sept. 10 [2025].
 The bulk of the Russian assets are held by the Brussels-based financial firm Euroclear and are invested in [[Western alliance|Western government]] bonds that have matured into [[cash]]. The cash is sitting in a deposit account with the European Central Bank.

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 The obvious reason for the failure was a fundamental misunderstanding of the size, development and importance of the Russian economy. The idea that Russia was "a gas station with [[nuke]]s," had sunk into the [[Western civilization|Western]] received wisdom. Former President [[Barack Obama]] said that "Russia doesn't make anything," while the idea that Russia's economy was "about the size of [[Italy]]'s" was commonplace, adding to the sense that Russia would be an economic pushover.
-Russia treated economic pressure as an opportunity to accelerate import substitution, develop alternative [[supply chain]]s through [[China]] and [[Central Asia]], and convert [[civilian]] factories to [[military]] production. The result? By 2024, Russia was producing [[artillery]] shells at fifteen times its pre-war rate, manufacturing twenty thousand [[drone]]s monthly, and assembling [[tank]]s at rates exceeding [[Western alliance|Western]] production despite [[economics sanctions]] intended to cripple Russia's defense industry. Where Western planners assumed quick victory or collapse, [[Moscow]] prepared for years of grinding warfare.
+Russia treated economic pressure as an opportunity to accelerate import substitution, develop alternative [[supply chain]]s through [[China]] and [[Central Asia]], and convert [[civilian]] factories to [[military]] production. The result? By 2024, Russia was producing [[artillery]] shells at fifteen times its pre-war rate, manufacturing twenty thousand [[drone]]s monthly, and assembling [[tank]]s at rates exceeding [[Western alliance|Western]] production despite [[economic sanctions]] intended to cripple Russia's defense industry. Where Western planners assumed quick victory or collapse, [[Moscow]] prepared for years of grinding warfare.
 ==Russian GDP growth==

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 '''Russian sanctions''' were first imposed in 2014 after the [[illegal]] [[Obama]]-backed [[Maidan coup]]. More were imposed after the [[fraud]]ulent [[Democrat]]/[[Deep State]] [[Russia collusion hoax]], scapegoating [[Vladimir Putin]] and the [[Russian]]s. Finally after the clearly provoked [[NATO expansion]] in [[Ukraine]],<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Provoked-Washington-Started-Catastrophe-Ukraine/dp/1733647376 Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine Paperback] – November 16, 2024 by Scott Horton. [[Amazon.com]].</ref> more sanctions were imposed.
-In the third week of February 2022, socialist leader [[Joe Biden]] said that "As a result of these unprecedented sanctions, the ruble almost is immediately reduced to rubble," and push the [[Russian]] [[economy]] from being the 11th biggest in the world to outside the top 20. The [[UK]] [[Prime Minister]] and Foreign Secretary variously said that sanctions would take "the wheels off the Russian war machine," and "hobble" its economy. EU Commission president [[Ursula von der Leyen]] said "Russian industry is in tatters."<ref>https://www.bitchute.com/video/BzSeX5ww7YFy/</ref> The [[EU]] said that sanctions were designed to erode "sharply Russia's economic base." The sanctions, which were unprecedented in size and scope, were meant to damage the Russian economy to such an extent that [[Moscow]] would be unable to continue its intervention in the [[Donbas war]] and perhaps even lead to [[regime change]]. Many experts agreed, forecasting a catastrophic effect on the Russian economy. The Institute of Financial Studies predicted a 15% fall in GDP. A Yale study went even farther, arguing that Russia had lost foreign business presence in the country that accounted for 40% of its [[GDP]], and that there was "no path out of economic oblivion for Russia."
+In the third week of February 2022, [[US]] [[socialist]] premier [[Joe Biden]] said that "As a result of these unprecedented sanctions, the ruble almost is immediately reduced to rubble," and push the [[Russian]] [[economy]] from being the 11th biggest in the world to outside the top 20. The [[UK]] [[Prime Minister]] and Foreign Secretary variously said that sanctions would take "the wheels off the Russian war machine," and "hobble" its economy. EU Commission president [[Ursula von der Leyen]] said "Russian industry is in tatters."<ref>https://www.bitchute.com/video/BzSeX5ww7YFy/</ref> The [[EU]] said that sanctions were designed to erode "sharply Russia's economic base." The sanctions, which were unprecedented in size and scope, were meant to damage the Russian economy to such an extent that [[Moscow]] would be unable to continue its intervention in the [[Donbas war]] and perhaps even lead to [[regime change]]. Many experts agreed, forecasting a catastrophic effect on the Russian economy. The Institute of Financial Studies predicted a 15% fall in GDP. A Yale study went even farther, arguing that Russia had lost foreign business presence in the country that accounted for 40% of its [[GDP]], and that there was "no path out of economic oblivion for Russia."
 __TOC__
 [[File:PPP 2023.png|right|200px|thumb|Since sanctions the Russian [[economy]] has become more self-sufficient, by 2025 surpassing [[Germany]] and [[Japan]] to become the 4th largest economy on the [[planet]].]]
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 The obvious reason for the failure was a fundamental misunderstanding of the size, development and importance of the Russian economy. The idea that Russia was "a gas station with [[nuke]]s," had sunk into the [[Western civilization|Western]] received wisdom. Former President [[Barack Obama]] said that "Russia doesn't make anything," while the idea that Russia's economy was "about the size of [[Italy]]'s" was commonplace, adding to the sense that Russia would be an economic pushover.
 ==Russian GDP growth==

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:24, January 15, 2026
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	Euroclear has expressed concerns over its future and the future of the [[euro]] [[currency]] if the Russian [[sovereign]] assets are seized by the EU. [[Belgian]] [[Prime Minister]] [[Bart De Wever]] has asked other EU leaders for guarantees they will share the risks. Former head of the German [[Blackrock]] office Fuhrer [[Friedrich Merz]] had a new idea. In a ''Financial Times'' op-ed Merz claimed:<ref>https://archive.ph/hP5Ej#selection-1839.0-1852.2</ref>		Euroclear has expressed concerns over its future and the future of the [[euro]] [[currency]] if the Russian [[sovereign]] assets are seized by the EU. [[Belgian]] [[Prime Minister]] [[Bart De Wever]] has asked other EU leaders for guarantees they will share the risks. Former head of the German [[Blackrock]] office Fuhrer [[Friedrich Merz]] had a new idea. In a ''Financial Times'' op-ed Merz claimed:<ref>https://archive.ph/hP5Ej#selection-1839.0-1852.2</ref>
		+	[[File:Gold 2026.PNG\|300px\|thumb\|right\|]]
	{{quotebox-float\|[[Germany]] has been, and remains, cautious on the issue of confiscating the Russian central bank's assets that are frozen in [[Europe]], and with good reason. There are not only questions of [[international law]] to consider, but also fundamental issues concerning the [[euro]]'s role as a global [[reserve currency]]. But this must not hold us back: we must consider how, by circumventing these problems, we can make these funds available for the defence of Ukraine.		{{quotebox-float\|[[Germany]] has been, and remains, cautious on the issue of confiscating the Russian central bank's assets that are frozen in [[Europe]], and with good reason. There are not only questions of [[international law]] to consider, but also fundamental issues concerning the [[euro]]'s role as a global [[reserve currency]]. But this must not hold us back: we must consider how, by circumventing these problems, we can make these funds available for the defence of Ukraine.

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 *[[Great Reset]]
 *[[SWIFT network]]
 ==References==

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 ==Seizure of Russian assets==
-Three years into the [[NATO war in Ukraine]] the Belgium company Euroclear still held €258 billion ($300 billion USD) in frozen or immobilised Russian assets. Some of these assets belong to institutions not sanctioned by the [[European Union]]. Frozen assets amount to €65 billion, with an additional €193 billion in immobilised transactions, primarily from the Central Bank of Russia.
+Three years into the [[NATO war in Ukraine]] the Belgium company [[Euroclear]] still held €258 billion ($300 billion USD) in frozen or immobilised Russian assets. Some of these assets belong to institutions not sanctioned by the [[European Union]]. Frozen assets amount to €65 billion, with an additional €193 billion in immobilised transactions, primarily from the Central Bank of Russia.
 The EU has been confiscating the [[interest]], not the [[principal]], of that money to distribute it to [[Ukraine]]. That step is likely already [[illegal]] and [[Russia]] will use the courts to get it back. There has been talk of investing the Russian assets in junk bonds with aim of achieving a higher yield:<ref>https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/07/15/euroclearcalls-e-u-plan-to-invest-frozen-russian-assets-in-risky-securities-expropriation</ref>

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 The EU has been confiscating the [[interest]], not the [[principal]], of that money to distribute it to [[Ukraine]]. That step is likely already [[illegal]] and [[Russia]] will use the courts to get it back. There has been talk of investing the Russian assets in junk bonds with aim of achieving a higher yield:<ref>https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/07/15/euroclearcalls-e-u-plan-to-invest-frozen-russian-assets-in-risky-securities-expropriation</ref>
 {{quotebox-float|Euroclear chief executive Valérie Urbain told the ''[[Financial Times]]'' that [[European Union]] plans to raise additional [[revenue]] from frozen Russian assets by investing them in higher-risk securities would amount to "expropriation." Urbain also warned that such a move could prompt "Russian retaliation in all sorts of forms," as well as damage Euroclear's reputation...The EU was reportedly discussing the possibility of transferring the assets to a special EU-administered fund that would make higher-risk investments. The goal is to generate greater returns to support Ukraine.}}
 The move was blocked as no one was ready to accept the potential [[liability]] for it. Not only [[Belgium]], but also [[Germany]] and other [[fiscal conservative]] states, have warned that such a move would endanger their own [[asset]]s. Russia has announced that it will retaliate against any confiscation of its [[money]]. It threatens to confiscate whatever [[European]] companies own or hold in Russia. Those companies would then have to sue their own [[government]]s for cover of their losses.

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 ==See also==
 *[[Magnitsky Act of 2012]]
 *[[Great Reset]]
 *[[SWIFT network]]

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 The move was blocked as no one was ready to accept the potential [[liability]] for it. Not only [[Belgium]], but also [[Germany]] and other [[fiscal conservative]] states, have warned that such a move would endanger their own [[asset]]s. Russia has announced that it will retaliate against any confiscation of its [[money]]. It threatens to confiscate whatever [[European]] companies own or hold in Russia. Those companies would then have to sue their own [[government]]s for cover of their losses.
-Former head of the German [[Blackrock]] office Fuhrer [[Friedrich Merz]] had a new idea. In a ''Financial Times'' op-ed Merz claimed:<ref>https://archive.ph/hP5Ej#selection-1839.0-1852.2</ref>
+"In the future, investors are unlikely to place their assets in Euroclear, knowing they could be so easily liquidated without trial or due process, just as Russian assets are being liquidated.," said Georgy Ostapkovich, academic supervisor at the Center for Market Studies at the Higher School of Economics.
 {{quotebox-float|[[Germany]] has been, and remains, cautious on the issue of confiscating the Russian central bank's assets that are frozen in [[Europe]], and with good reason. There are not only questions of [[international law]] to consider, but also fundamental issues concerning the [[euro]]'s role as a global [[reserve currency]]. But this must not hold us back: we must consider how, by circumventing these problems, we can make these funds available for the defence of Ukraine.
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 The EU bonds would cover Euroclear's risk against Russian litigation while the cash in the SPV could be invested more profitably than overnight deposits in the ECB and thus generate a higher return for Ukraine.</ref>https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/explainer-how-will-the-west-use-russia-s-frozen-assets/ar-AA1NdSz7}}
 Why would this scheme, as Merz say, 'require budgetary guarantees from member states'? That mean that the [[taxpayer]]s of the EU will have to pay when Russia wins its [[litigation]] in court. It is, in the end, the people of Russia's money. Any attempt to seize is outright [[thievery]].
 ==See also==

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 {{quotebox-float|[[Germany]] has been, and remains, cautious on the issue of confiscating the Russian central bank's assets that are frozen in [[Europe]], and with good reason. There are not only questions of [[international law]] to consider, but also fundamental issues concerning the [[euro]]'s role as a global [[reserve currency]]. But this must not hold us back: we must consider how, by circumventing these problems, we can make these funds available for the defence of Ukraine.
-In my view a viable solution should now be developed whereby — without intervening in property rights — we can make available to Ukraine an interest-free loan of almost €140 billion in total. That loan would only be repaid once Russia has compensated Ukraine for the damage it has caused during this war. Until then, the Russian assets will remain frozen, as decided by the European Council.
+In my view a viable solution should now be developed whereby — without intervening in [[property rights]] — we can make available to Ukraine an [[interest]]-free loan of almost €140 billion in total. That loan would only be repaid once Russia has compensated Ukraine for the damage it has caused during this war. Until then, the Russian assets will remain frozen, as decided by the [[European Council]].
-Such extensive assistance will require budgetary guarantees from member states. Those bilateral guarantees should, as soon as the next Multiannual Financial Framework is in place in 2028, be replaced by collateralisation under the EU’s long-term budget."}}
+Such extensive assistance will require budgetary guarantees from member states. Those [[bilateral]] guarantees should, as soon as the next Multiannual Financial Framework is in place in 2028, be replaced by collateralisation under the EU's long-term budget."}}
 What sounds like [[AI]] slop is not Merz' own idea but a plan that had been proffered earlier by the [[EU Commission]]. {{quotebox-float|Frustration has been building in EU capitals around the lack of details surrounding the so-called [[reparations]] [[loan]], which Commission President [[Ursula von der Leyen]] first pitched in her State of the European Union speech Sept. 10 [2025].