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In just 48 hours, 200 Russian diplomats in Europe were either expelled or declared persona non grata. Officially, the diplomats are accused of being involved in espionage, but it is widely known that these latest expulsions are in response to recent revelations of atrocities committed by Russian forces in Bucha, Ukraine.
The French, meanwhile, have opened three investigations into possible war crimes against some of their nationals in Ukraine, in addition to investigations into the killing of Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski outside Kyiv last month. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has also called for independent investigations into the killing of civilians in Ukraine, which “deeply divide our souls”.
As debate drags on about pressuring Russia in hopes of getting it to stop the war in Ukraine, Berlin took control of a subsidiary of Russian energy company Gazprom in Germany earlier this week. The US and Europe will announce further sanctions.
Servicemen of pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia drove an armored vehicle with the “Z” symbol on the side in the separatist-held village of Bugas in March. (REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko, file)
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And the growing anger could lead some to take matters into their own hands. A car crashed into the gates of the Russian embassy in Bucharest, Romania and burst into flames. The driver died. It’s not clear if the act was premeditated, but Russian embassies around the world have been attacked by protesters in recent weeks.
In Italy, someone has apparently set fire to the villa of top Kremlin propagandist and talk show personality Vladimir Solovyov on Lake Como. The villa – one of the Russian showman’s three Italian properties – had already been expropriated when Solovyov was hit with sanctions. It’s not yet clear what happened to the villa, but investigators said they believe it was a premeditated act.
All of this while sanctions are beginning to take hold in Russia, although economists said it will be some time before the country feels their full impact as Russians bicker over who is responsible for the hardship. “I think people watching Russian TV will blame the West because the propaganda is very effective internally. People who rely more on independent news will have a very different interpretation and blame other parties,” said economist Ruben Enikolopov. “I see increasing polarization within Russia and it takes it to the extreme when people in the same family stop talking to each other.”
A gymnasium damaged after Russian missile attacks in Vasylkiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, March 1. (Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, File)
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Enikolopov acknowledged the social upheavals, war and dissent in Russia, but added: “It’s nothing compared to what’s going on in Ukraine, but it’s obviously hitting Russian society.” he said.
But the fact that hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled the country since the war began could hurt Russia’s future more than any sanctions. Many of the refugees have gone to Turkey, Armenia and Georgia, to name a few countries that have opened their doors to Russians, although many said they were greeted with hostility or obstacles when trying to rent apartments.
They are “independent journalists who don’t want to risk ending up in jail for reporting what the Kremlin calls ‘fake news’, men who fear conscription, and many Russians who work in the IT industry.” , said Enikopolov. “Some of them will probably come back. It’s like a panic period,” but many will not return, he added.
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“So this is a big blow to [the] Russian economy, I think, in the long run. Talk about inflation, import restrictions, they are very important now in terms of long–runtime development of [the] Russian economy. But the most important thing is this brain drain and the fact that Russia is cut off from new technologies,” he said. “This will accumulate and lead to ever slower economic growth, if there is any growth at all in the future. But it will be well below the global average for years to come.”