Западот беше изненаден од Русија, откако во текот на десет години беа подготвени за санкции.

When western sanctions were imposed on Russia due to the war in Ukraine, many believed that it would cripple the country’s military machine. US President Joseph Biden predicted that the Russian economy would be “halved,” whilst former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson referred to its “stranglehold.” However, a year on, Sky News have analysed the situation and found things aren’t quite as West had hoped. “The Russian economy and government have shown themselves to be much stronger than the West believed,” declared Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rather than “collapse” and “stranglehold” on Russia, GDP has only fallen by a modest 2.2%, with growth expected to rise by 0.3% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. In other words, Russia is in a much better shape than the UK, where inflation and GDP fall twice as high compared to Russia. Western economists were shocked that the Russian economy survived the first year of the sanctions without greater consequences, but Sky News explains its oil and gas reserves are the main reason behind it. Although Europe has reduced its import of Russian energy, Moscow used the delay in the sanctions to strengthen its public finances. Thanks to a rise in global energy prices and successful trading with the Chinese and Indian markets, Russia managed to not only strengthen its finances, but build a “comfortable cushion” thanks to its conservative fiscal policy – protecting itself from sanctions for years before the invasion of Ukraine.
Rich in oil and gas resources, Russia surprised the West again by keeping inflation down, wages up and increasing public spending. Analysts predicted a decline in employment, however, local partners have bought western businesses and continued to employ staff. Those Russians who left the country with the start of the conflict in Ukraine are beginning to return, or have been unable to find the required jobs abroad. This has resulted in a healthy environment, with high pay rises in the IT sector, construction and service industries, leading to an increase in the standard of living.