The sanctions against Russian imperialism are an example of the contradictions between the imperialists
Featured image: graph with the Russian economic growth and predictions for the next years. Source: graph, Statista; data, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The G7 Summit has been held in Italy from 13th until 15th of June, and the attendants which were some of the main imperialist powers, lead by Yankee imperialism, gathered to deal with several topics. Yankee imperialism marked as the main topic the war in Ukraine. Ahead the summit US president, Joe Biden, announced a new sanctions package against Russian imperialism. More than 300 legal entities and individuals were sanctioned, there was an attempt to prevent or at least difficult the access to information technologies and several kinds of software, as well as sanctions which would affect the Russian bank sector, specially the monopolies Sberbank and VTB. The Moscow Exchange has felt down a 15 per cent after knowing the sanctions and the predictions of the imperialists is that these sanctions will cause a great impact on the trade possibilities and therefore on the possibility of funding Russia and the supplying of key goods needed by Russian imperialism. This is not the first time of a big fall in the Moscow Exchange, and it is not the first time that imperialists in Europe or Yankee imperialism announces ‘devastating’ consequences for the Russian economy after new sanctions.
These new sanctions are part of the sharpening of the struggle between on the one hand mainly Yankee imperialism, as well as other imperialist powers which are dragged into the conflict as German, British, French and other imperialists, and on the other hand Russia imperialism. This sharpening is produced after the failure of the Ukrainian offensive and the advance, but slow, which Russian imperialism is achieving in several parts of the front1. These economic measures are coming along with others such as the formal permission granted by Yankee, German and French imperialists to Ukraine to use weapons received on Russian soil. As we say, this permission is just formal as previously they already secretly provided ATACMS missiles and were used recently, and even were used many months ago according to Zelenskyi himself.
The European Union (EU) has joined the announcement of new sanctions against Russian imperialism: recently it has included 20 individuals and 22 legal entities in its ‘black list’. Moreover on last 20th of June the EU finally approved a new sanctions package but some bourgeois analysts report about how this will probably slightly affect Russian economy, as this package is focused on trying to stop the re-exports, specially to forbid the European ports being used as ports for re-export Russian gas to third countries. This just represents a 10 per cent of the exports of Russian liquefied natural gas to the EU. This agreement was achieved after a blockade by German imperialism for a long time. Seemingly the main reason for this disagreement was regarding the sanctions on intermediaries or ports for the trade with Russia. Germany was against it. This points out two fundamental issues: the differences between Yankee imperialism and the European imperialist powers, which although they are frequently dragged by the hegemony of the Yankee imperialist superpower, in some aspects they resist the Yankee intentions and they prevail their particular interests; the resistance of Russian imperialism before the consequences of the war.
From these new sanctions, the role of imperialists in this war can be seen in particular, and in the world context in general: Yankee imperialism keeps the role of sole hegemonic superpower, and hence, it is able to drag into its policies the other imperialists in Europe, who at least at some extent have to accept its decisions. The shy EU sanctions, at some extent follow the Yankee interest of attacking the exports of Russian fossil fuels. This has been always a key issue for the Yankee monopolies. To attack the gas exports has been for a long time a goal of Yankee imperialism, as it was obvious with the attack to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to cut a big supplying way of Russian gas to a big part of Europe. This competence between Yankee monopolies and Russian monopolies has increased during the last years due to the strong entry of the liquefied gas provided by Yankees to the world markets.
The imperialist powers in Europe, and in particular German imperialism have conceded to some of the interests of Yankee imperialism. Even though collusion is the main tendency among the imperialist powers, it also exists another aspect in the contradiction: struggle, because the EU lead by German imperialism is still allowing the direct imports of Russian gas and probably it will take long until they will stop, unless it will has another suitable alternative and one which is not increasing the differences between it and other imperialist competitors, as the Yankees. The liquefied natural gas from Russian imperialism has been arriving in huge amounts to the member countries of EU, and this partially shows this antagonism with the direct interests of Yankee imperialism and the defense of their own interests.
In fact, in general imperialists in the EU have not even totally banned the Russian oil imports in any moment of the conflict: they pretended to ban a 90 per cent of the imports for 2023, but they have not succeeded as Russian imperialism is using intermediaries, as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which goes through Caucasus mountains and reaches a Turkish port, and from there, the oil is re-exported to European ports. The Druzhba ground oil pipeline is also being used, and through it was passing one third of the Russian oil exported to the EU, and it keeps supplying oil in big amounts to Europa, as the EU just forbade the Russian oil imports in a direct way and by sea.
Another important aspect is that German imperialism stated the problem for them in the approval of this new sanctions package was not even the gas – which most likely it is not true, at least partially -, but it was the attack to trade intermediaries with Russia, as one measure in this package was the obligation to the EU companies to guarantee that their customers would not resell some products to Russia. This ban to reexport some products to Russia which supposedly just affects goods of possible military use, could also affect chemistry products, machinery and other products related with metallurgy, and other similar products, what would be unacceptable for the German industrial monopolies.
All this brings to us the following question: are these sanctions actually working out against Russian imperialism? Analysts and media from different kinds are pointing out how these sanctions are failing. Despite the numerous Yankee sanctions and the 14th sanctions packages by the EU, it is expected that the Russian GDP will continue growing, according to the IMF it can grow up to 3.2 percent in the next year. In 2023 it already grew by 3.6 percent. Regarding the inflation in Russia, it is expected that it will decrease from 13.8 percent to 6.3 percent in the next year, coming back to prewar levels. Russia is improving its economy for a while. It has not only vast natural resources and big reserves of military material which can put on the front. The contradictions between the imperialist powers which are confronting Russian imperialism, have been a fundamental factor which is helping Russia to overcome the sanctions and economical loses by the war. Thus, the imperialists in Europe turn a blind eye on Russian imperialism continue exporting their goods, specially fossil fuels.
Actually they are not even preventing that Russia imports everything it needs of high priority as electric components and manufactured equipment, mainly through its lackeys in Central Asia, which are not sanctioned as Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan has witnessed an export increase to Russia of a 1,682.47 percent. Kazakhstan by its side has witnessed a 333.18 per cent increase. Other countries which have increased their exports to Russia are United Arab Emirates (81.55 percent) or Turkey (72.45 percent), most likely being re-exports of goods which Russian imperialism considers key and cannot import from the EU as back in the days. At the same time, Russian imperialism has succeeded in selling many of its raw materials which has not been sold in Europe or which they have difficulties to be sold there. Chinese social-imperialism has been key importing big amounts of raw materials, specially oil, being the main importer of the world of it, recently surpassing the old Indian State which was the other main importer of Russian oil. On 2023 the trade between China and Russia reached a record of 240 billions US dollars. But Chinese social-imperialism not just imported a huge amount of raw materials, but also supplied to Russia cars which now are dominating the local car market, and also electronic devices and other more elaborated goods which were not arriving from Europe or not so widely as before.
All the indicators point out how all the economic sanctions to Russian imperialism are not causing a devastating effect, and the talks of the rulers of imperialist countries are extremely cynic – as usual. Imperialists knew that these sanctions would not cause the collapse of Russian imperialism, which were not cutting the oil flow and not even minimally the gas flow to Europe or the imports of the needed goods by Russian imperialism to keep functioning at a full scale. So, all the story about sanctions and about how supposedly would cause the defeat of Russian imperialism, was just a complete hoax.
We can see the role collusion is playing among imperialists, but also the contradiction and defense of their own interests. The hypocrisy of the imperialists is obvious, and on daily basis they talk about this war as a war between democracy and freedom (represented both by Ukraine, US and EU) against tyranny and crimes against the ‘international law’ which are represented by Russia. At the same time they spit on the spoiled blood by Ukrainian people, decisively collaborating on boycotting their own sanctions, putting above everything their profits.
So far the war has been even profitable for Russian imperialism, bringing new benefits. It has not only avoided sanctions and a big damage to its power monopolies, but also has achieved new and huge profits for its armaments monopolies. At the same time the continuation of the war and a sharpening of it are being profitable for Yankee imperialism. It has already plans for the ‘reconstruction’ – read further loot – of Ukraine, which will provide big infrastructures works, new contracts of multiple services provided by private companies from US, not affordably debts which will fall on the backs of the Ukrainian people. Moreover Yankee imperialism is currently profiting from the gas selling to some European countries, and at the same time, it hugely increases its military material exports. With the sanctions, Yankee imperialism doesn’t want to make fall the Russian regime, but attempt to slowly substitute it as a provider to other imperialist powers and many other oppressed countries and continue gaining market share in the re-division of the world. Ukraine, the oppressed nation, is paying with corpses, and the imperialists are receiving the profits.
The Ukrainian people cannot trust on imperialists: Russian imperialism attacks it and wants to subjugate it as it did in the past; Yankee imperialism and other European imperialist powers wants to subjugate it also, use it as cannon fodder in its struggle against Russian imperialism and to loot the country. It cannot either trust in its lackeys as Zelenskyi, who fulfills a nefarious role, who do not trust in the people but in the imperialists, country-seller and liquidator of the brave struggle and resistance of its people which continues soaking with its blood the lands of Ukraine in this war. Hence, Ukrainian people has just one option left: to rely on its own forces to keep combating and resisting until finally sweep away all the imperialists from their land, no matter if they are the Russian aggressors, the Yankees or diverse European powers which are just expecting how to further loot the country nowadays or in the future.
1We recommend to read the article we published for the 2nd anniversary of the war of aggression of Russian imperialism on Ukraine, in which we already pointed out how Russian imperialism was slowly moving forward and fulfilling its minimal goals, which is still happening nowadays: https://redherald.org/2024/02/26/two-years-of-russian-war-of-aggression-against-ukraine/
