DISINFO: Sanctions proven useless but Trump envoy threatens with more
SUMMARY
US special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellog affirmed that the Trump government may strengthen sanctions against Russia to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine. Kellogg doesn’t realise that the 15th previous packages of sanctions have not worked and have only led to the EU’s economy to sink and the US, to prevent its own debacle, had to resort to constant trade blackmail against its own partners, who bend their knees to their master in an act of vassalage. Meanwhile Russia has adapted to these measures and is having one of the biggest growths at global level. Sanctions have had the opposite result of what they were intended to achieve.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative against sanctions. This disinformation message is also part of what some experts have labelled Russia’s economic war propaganda, whose goal in this case is to portray Russia as resilient enough to outlast its adversaries, trying to create an impression of strength ahead of likely peace negotiations with Ukraine.
Although some macroeconomic figures - such as Russia’s 3.6% growth in 2024, according to the IMF, and a record low level of unemployment at nearly 2%- point to apparent good health for Russia’s economy, many other indicators show a much worse picture. A significant part of Russian economic growth comes from the arms industry, producing massive quantities of military equipment, many of which is being destroyed in Ukraine without providing any benefit to the general economy. Meanwhile, the Russian ruble is in a downward spiral, food prices are soaring, and while official consumer inflation is pegged at 8.5%, many analysts believe the real number is much higher. Some reports suggest inflation has hit 70% since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. See this article by EuvsDisinfo for a full explanation of Russia’s economic troubles in 2025.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia has only grown stronger in the last few years, that Putin has shown Russia’s economic supremacy to the world, that many Germans would like to move to Russia due to economic reasons, that instead of crushing Russia, sanctions led to US debt and Europe’s freezing, that Russia became the World's 4th economic power thanks to the war in Ukraine, that Russia’s economy is massively outperforming that of the collective West, or that the Russian economy thrives despite EU sanctions.