What sanctions really hurt Russia

podcast

Exclusion from SWIFT international payment transactions, assets of Russian oligarchs frozen abroad, blocking of airspace over the EU for Russian aircraft, no more deliveries of spare parts to Russia, no more microchips, no more high-tech products and and and. The sanctions package against Russia is getting longer almost by the minute. The Russia researcher Elisabeth Schimpfössl from the London School of Economics says that the sanctions against individual oligarchs are particularly effective, especially in public perception. But the researcher also sees the more “symbolic” penalties against President Putin and his foreign minister Sergey Lavrov as effective: “Someone like Lavrov, the foreign minister, is a cosmopolitan figure, and imposing sanctions is of course also painful for him. He has his daughter in New York, he wanted to retire for a long time, but he wasn’t allowed to.”

Suddenly poisoned – the Russian President would not be the first

In addition, Elisabeth Schimpfössl speaks of a change of mood in the Kremlin and among some Putin friends. Some oligarchs have posted commemorative plaques on social media to mark Boris Nemtsov’s anniversary. To commemorate an opposition politician who was probably shot on behalf of the Kremlin was unthinkable a few days ago. The pressure from outside is increasing and so some oligarchs want to join forces and slowly break away from the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin. And the President himself? He could possibly become a victim of his actions, says Schimpfössl: “The head of a secret service got so involved in the case of the poisoned Skripals that he suddenly died of an alleged heart attack. Now there’s a suspicion that something like this could definitely happen to Putin sooner or later. However, that would then be an act that would have to come from the elites in the military and the secret services.”

Why Putin is doing this

“He [Putin] has been totally isolated during the pandemic, he has hardly let anyone in and it looks like he has lost his mind in this isolation. It is of course a problem, no one dares to contradict him”, Elisabeth Schimpfössl in the podcast “important today”.

Podcast “important today”

Sure, opinionated, on the 12: “important today” is not just a news podcast. We set topics and initiate debates – with attitude and sometimes uncomfortable. Host Michel Abdollahi and his team speak out for this star– and RTL reporters with the most exciting people from politics, society and entertainment. They let all voices have their say, both the quiet and the loud. Anyone who hears “important today” starts the day well-informed and can have a well-founded say.

Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address

Once a year, the President of the United States answers the big question: how is my country doing? And tonight, at three o’clock German time, it’s that time again. Then Joe Biden gives his so-called State of the Union Address. Rarely has this speech been so eagerly awaited as this year. Because for Joe Biden it is the first State of the Union address as President and it also comes at this difficult time. In January 2002, a few months after the September 11 attacks, George W. Bush, in his State of the Union address, referred to North Korea, Iran and Iraq as “the axis of evil.” Campaign and strategy advisor Julius van de Laar knows whether Joe Biden will choose similarly harsh words for Russia tonight. He says Biden could take great advantage of the clear division into good and bad, west and east, and thereby distract attention from domestic political problems. Because there would be enough of them.

How to subscribe to “important today”

Don’t miss an episode of Important Today by subscribing to our podcast at: , , , or your favorite podcast app. If you have any questions or suggestions, please write to us.