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Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Putin putting on a brave face ...

"Oh! what a tangled web we weave
  When first we practice to deceive"

Lavrov has said that ties with Washington needs a reset v2.00, whilst at the same time continuing to maintain the deception that Russia does not have any intimate involvement with her proxies in eastern Ukraine. Furthermore, whilst bombs from Russian proxies are raining around Donetsk airport, Lavrov has the effrontery to say that,

" ..... thanks to "initiatives of the Russian President", the situation was improving on the ground in Ukraine, where a ceasefire has been in place for several weeks. The Sept.5 truce is largely holding though some fighting has continued in places including the rebel stronghold of Donetsk."

 Pro-Russian rebels fire towards Ukrainian positions near the airport, from make-shift shelters inside houses
Meanwhile, Poland has yesterday ( Tue Oct 7, 2014) warned Russia that it could face tougher sanctions over Ukraine because breaches of the ceasefire continues due in main to the active support been given by Putin to his proxies in Donetsk in particular. 

"If Russia does not change its policy, sanctions will be toughened and they will make themselves felt even more in Russia," Schetyna said in an interview with Polish broadcast Polsat News."
  
Even the IMF has concluded that the battered Russian economy faces more pain over Ukraine, as reported yesterday by Max Delaney

But Putin is putting on a brave face  by saying at an annual conference in Moscow, and attended by Russian delegates and other business leaders from around the world, that the Russian economy will grow despite sanctions. (3 Oct 2014)

Putin addressing delegates
What is the effect of the sanctions against Russia on Central Asia?
As Stephen Blank points out (



"Kazakhstan, which had previously boasted the most dynamic economic outlook in the region, seems especially vulnerable to continued Russian economic myopia. Not only does a weakening ruble continue to threaten Kazakhstan’s economy, but the Moscow-led counter-sanctions also present a significant risk to sustained growth. As one economic analyst told The Astana Times, “Russian counter-sanctions in food products can be expected to, on balance, have an overwhelmingly negative overall impact on Kazakhstan through potential food price inflation and domestic supply risks[.]” It’s small wonder Kazakhstan has been one of the most vocal nations calling for an end to all post-Crimea sanctions." (

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