Gama
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 9, 2010
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Maisha ya raia wa Urusi yamezidi kuwa magumu kufuatia Taifa hilo kuingia vitani na jirani yake Ukrain. Hali hii imefanya mataifa mbalimbali kuiwekea vikwazo kadhaa ikiwemo baadi ya raia kuziwa kusafiri na hivyo kudumaza biashara na upatikanaji wa boidhaa.
Yasemekana raia wamebaki kimya kwakuwa hakuna anayethubutu kuweka wazi kuwa vita imeathiri maisha yao. Mijadala ya namna hii huweza kuendeshwa kati ya makundi madogo ya marafiki wa karibu na si kuwekwa kwenye simu au mitandao ya kijamii.
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People are seen inside the newly-opened Stars Coffee cafe in Moscow on August 19, 2022. NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP
For six months, the Petrov family (a false name) has been opposing the Kremlin's "special military operation" in Ukraine. But they have done so discreetly, around the kitchen table or in small groups with close friends. Not a word has been said on social media, there have been no discussions over the phone and no loud criticism in restaurants.
A veil of anger, sadness and frustration has been hanging over the lives of the Petrovs since the Russian invasion of the neighboring country on February 24. The family tells of the damage to their daily lives caused by Western sanctions against Russia. "And, de facto, against us, paradoxically," said Mikhail, the father, 60. He understands these measures without fully supporting them.
This soon-to-be retiree, an employee of one of the major state-owned groups currently under sanctions, can't stop talking about the impact of the sanctions, direct and indirect, on his company. "Management is acting as if nothing has happened. They are repeating the official rhetoric: Russia will replace imports with its own products; the economy will grow stronger; the country will become more independent," he said.
"In the meantime, it's back to our old bad habits. Russia and its economy are closing in on themselves and have a short-term vision. It is zigzagging between the sanctions prohibiting the purchase of Western parts and technologies. Some of them are circumvented. For example, we replace them with imports from China or Turkey. But, most importantly, we are continuing to make a profit without modernizing and without worrying about future efficiency."
His wife Elena, in her 50s, a philosopher with a passion for European cultures and languages, saw her activities interrupted overnight. For years, she had been developing youth exchange programs between Russia and France, the United Kingdom and Germany. "Nothing is possible anymore. Culture is not under sanction, but everything is blocked. Our partners do not want to, or cannot, work with us anymore. With the closure of airspace, flights are too complicated and expensive. It's over for our generation and maybe even for my grandchildren," she said.
An expert in information technology, he had developed various solutions in marketing, but Nikita has since lost foreign clients. Unable to pay for subscriptions to Western applications, which are essential for upgrading his programs, he has had to be resourceful. He goes through a friend in Spain to pay and hence maintain access to suppliers in order to stay afloat.
Yasemekana raia wamebaki kimya kwakuwa hakuna anayethubutu kuweka wazi kuwa vita imeathiri maisha yao. Mijadala ya namna hii huweza kuendeshwa kati ya makundi madogo ya marafiki wa karibu na si kuwekwa kwenye simu au mitandao ya kijamii.
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Life in Russia made 'harder and harder' by economic sanctions
The country has gone through six months of Western sanctions in response to Moscow's war in Ukraine. In some middle-class households, purchasing power is declining as anxiety is rising. By Nicolas Ruisseau (Moscow (Russia) correspondent) Published on August 22, 2022 at 20h30 Time to4 min.
People are seen inside the newly-opened Stars Coffee cafe in Moscow on August 19, 2022. NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP
For six months, the Petrov family (a false name) has been opposing the Kremlin's "special military operation" in Ukraine. But they have done so discreetly, around the kitchen table or in small groups with close friends. Not a word has been said on social media, there have been no discussions over the phone and no loud criticism in restaurants.
A veil of anger, sadness and frustration has been hanging over the lives of the Petrovs since the Russian invasion of the neighboring country on February 24. The family tells of the damage to their daily lives caused by Western sanctions against Russia. "And, de facto, against us, paradoxically," said Mikhail, the father, 60. He understands these measures without fully supporting them.
This soon-to-be retiree, an employee of one of the major state-owned groups currently under sanctions, can't stop talking about the impact of the sanctions, direct and indirect, on his company. "Management is acting as if nothing has happened. They are repeating the official rhetoric: Russia will replace imports with its own products; the economy will grow stronger; the country will become more independent," he said.
"In the meantime, it's back to our old bad habits. Russia and its economy are closing in on themselves and have a short-term vision. It is zigzagging between the sanctions prohibiting the purchase of Western parts and technologies. Some of them are circumvented. For example, we replace them with imports from China or Turkey. But, most importantly, we are continuing to make a profit without modernizing and without worrying about future efficiency."
His wife Elena, in her 50s, a philosopher with a passion for European cultures and languages, saw her activities interrupted overnight. For years, she had been developing youth exchange programs between Russia and France, the United Kingdom and Germany. "Nothing is possible anymore. Culture is not under sanction, but everything is blocked. Our partners do not want to, or cannot, work with us anymore. With the closure of airspace, flights are too complicated and expensive. It's over for our generation and maybe even for my grandchildren," she said.
The rich will stay rich
Their son, Nikita, 34, tries to remain optimistic. Swift, the international financial transaction system, which has been blocked in Russia since March has banned the interbank exchanges his computer company was dependent on.An expert in information technology, he had developed various solutions in marketing, but Nikita has since lost foreign clients. Unable to pay for subscriptions to Western applications, which are essential for upgrading his programs, he has had to be resourceful. He goes through a friend in Spain to pay and hence maintain access to suppliers in order to stay afloat.
