Uh huh. Hey I'm a factory owner and I'm looking for some fresh steel, do you know a good place in the UK where I can find some?

...oh, I see. Well hey, at least the basic functions of a society haven't been impacted. At least everyone can afford housing and heating over the winter, right? At least there's not like, widespread hunger, right? After all, if things like that happened somewhere evil like Russia, that's the kind of thing we would use to declare them a failed state in need of responsible guidance.

How are you defining success?

I’d call Russia growing at around 3.5% and booking record revenues a pretty bad outcome, from the perspective of people who think these sanctions are doing anything much at all.

Asserting so does not make it so. The Eurozone is in recession and growth is flat, meanwhile Russia is still growing. Russia is coming out ahead of this sanctions/trade war with Europe.

That said? The US is the real winner here. It gets to hurt Russia and Europe and the same time and make them think it was their idea! Meanwhile, people just assume anyone who doesn't say Russia is going to collapse any day now is working for Putin. 🤡