DISINFO: Germany lacks sovereignty and sanctions harm the EU
SUMMARY
Germany swallows attacks from its allies because Berlin has no sovereignty and some of its high-ranking officials have no sufficient training, so the world is laughing at them. The European countries either have cut themselves off from cheap energy sources, or this has been done by their allies from the United States that turned off the tap of Russian energy supplies for political reasons.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that the EU, and Germany in particular, is not independent in its decisions and that the international sanctions against Russia are inefficient. The claim of 'lost sovereignty' is a classic Kremlin trope - as we document in this series of articles. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The United States and the European Union are allies that are coordinating their policies towards Russia. Both the US and the EU imposed restrictive measures on Russia when it launched its unprovoked and unjustified full-scale aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Germany as part of the European Union strictly adheres to the 11 packages of sanctions the EU has adopted so far. These restrictive measures have hit many sensitive sectors of Russia’s economy and targeted certain individuals with close ties with the Kremlin. Russia has already suffered a lot from them, which has cost it hundreds of billions of dollars in losses.
The sanctions have also caused prolonged damage for the Russian economy, which will be felt later. Part of Russia’s skilled manpower has emigrated to foreign countries to avoid conscription or repression. The brain drain represents hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals. It is estimated that 1.3 million people under the age of 35 left the country in 2022.
The upcoming 12th package is expected to target over 120 additional individuals and entities for their role in undermining sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The proposals for listings include actors from the Russian military, defence and IT sectors, as well as other important economic operators.
The claims about Russia’s economic success contradict factual evidence. The provisional economic figures are not definitive, and it is too early to assess the performance of the Russian economy in 2023. Adding to the difficulty of assessing the true state of the Russian economy is the fact that, for about a year, the Russian Central Bank and Rosstat -- the national statistical agency -- stopped publishing a number of key economic data will less details than in the past, e.g. details on banking, production, trade and consumption data.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Germany acts like a kamikaze pilot as its sanctions are strengthening Russia, that Western restrictions against Russian citizens are racist, and that EU ban on Russian cars is revenge for the failure of sanctions.