Are Russian sanctions working? | Money Works
💣 "No More Blood Money: Why Europe Must Go All In to Kill the Kremlin’s War Chest"
📍By Adaptation-Guide OP-ED
“You cannot claim to fight tyranny while you still fill its bank account.”
The European Union has spent years talking a good game about punishing Russia for its brutal, illegal war against Ukraine.
Billions in weapons, humanitarian aid, and fierce speeches at international summits. And yet, beneath the polished surface, EU companies quietly kept the rubles flowing into Moscow's war chest—buying gas, oil, and even uranium like it was just another Tuesday.
In 2024 alone, the EU spent €23 billion on Russian energy.
That’s 23 billion reasons Putin can keep bombing civilians, raping international law, and turning Ukraine into a war laboratory.
Let’s be brutally clear: You can't sanction a war criminal while simultaneously paying him to fuel his tanks.
But maybe—just maybe—that hypocrisy is finally cracking.
❌ The Deadline: No More Russian Gas by 2027
In a landmark shift, the EU Commission announced it will propose a regulation in June to end all short-term contracts for Russian gas by the end of 2025 and phase out long-term contracts by December 31, 2027.
Roughly a third of EU-Russia gas trade will be gone overnight once the first phase hits.
“We no longer want to contribute to Russia’s war chest,” said EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen.
Let that sink in. After two years of death and devastation in Ukraine, this is finally becoming more than just rhetoric.
Europe is about to commit the one act of real economic warfare that could matter: cutting the cash flow.
🧨 The Problem: Not All EU States Are On Board
Of course, it wouldn’t be a European initiative without deep division. Hungary is already protesting the proposed regulation.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó called it a “grave mistake,” vowing resistance. No surprise—Hungary has functioned as Russia’s mole in the EU since day one, clinging to cheap gas while Ukraine burns.
Slovakia and a few others, still hooked on Kremlin crude, are likely to grumble too.
But unlike formal sanctions, this regulation only needs 15 out of 27 member states representing 65% of the EU’s population to pass. Hungary can scream all it wants—it may not be able to stop this.
And if Hungary violates the rules?
The EU would have legal grounds to intervene. Finally.
⚖️ Legal Loophole: “Force Majeure” and Contract Killers
What about those existing long-term contracts with Russian gas giants like Gazprom? Wouldn’t EU companies be breaching contract?
Not according to Jørgensen. He argues that “force majeure” applies—when a party can’t fulfill obligations due to extraordinary, unforeseen circumstances.
Translation: Russia’s war, gas blackmail, and deliberate supply disruptions since 2022 give companies a clean legal break.
Let’s not forget: Russia already broke the trust. This isn't business—it’s extortion with pipelines.
🔥 The False Hope of Normalization
Here’s the kicker: Some European business leaders—especially in Germany’s chemical and industrial sectors—are still fantasizing about normalizing trade with Russia.
They whisper about Trump 2.0 brokering “peace,” and the return of cheap gas. Delusional.
“The chapter Russia is closed for us,” said OMV’s CEO Alfred Stern. He gets it. Do they?
Let’s be clear: There is no future in appeasement.
Russia has committed atrocities that have obliterated any notion of “business as usual.”
Rape, mass executions, child deportations, and scorched-earth warfare—that’s the Kremlin’s export list today.
🧩 Sanctions Only Work When They’re Total
Sanctions aren’t magic—they’re war by economic means. And they only work if they’re airtight. Partial sanctions are like trying to dam a river with a fishing net.
Here’s the formula for effective economic war:
Cut Off the Cash: That means every cent. No exceptions for oil, gas, or uranium. Pipelines, LNG terminals, tanker fleets—sanction it all.
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Kill the Contracts: Long-term agreements are the trojan horses of dependency. Rip them up. Use force majeure. Use the law.
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Punish the Enablers: Countries like Hungary and firms that violate sanctions must face consequences—economic penalties, frozen funds, legal action.
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Diversify with Caution: Yes, American LNG is replacing Russian gas. But trading one dependency for another is short-sighted. Energy sovereignty means investing in renewables, not just switching suppliers.
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Make It Political: Sanctions only bite when they come with shame, isolation, and relentless public pressure. Corporations should be named, shamed, and fined.
📉 Reality Check: Energy Independence Is Security
In 2022, Russian gas prices spiked, weaponized as economic warfare.
That lesson hit hard. In 2024, the US supplied 17% of Europe’s gas, worth €19 billion.
But that barely dents the €198 billion transatlantic trade imbalance Trump whines about.
This isn’t just about energy. It’s about sovereignty. The EU must never again be a hostage to a petrostate dictator.
💥 Final Thought: This Is What Economic War Looks Like
Every euro spent on Russian gas fuels another airstrike on Kharkiv, another grave in Bucha, another child stolen from their family.
Economic ties with Russia aren’t just morally bankrupt—they’re strategically suicidal.
Sanctions without sacrifice are just symbolism. And symbolism doesn’t stop tanks.
It’s time to burn the bridge, not build it back. The only way to bankrupt Putin’s war machine is to make sure no one is buying what he's selling.
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🛠️ Action Guide: How to Pressure Your Government to Enforce Energy Sanctions [COMING SOON]
📢 Want to support Ukraine with more than flags and hashtags? Start by cutting the gas.
Sincerely,
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