Is Russia coping with sanctions?

2024-10-17 11:29:14

The truth is somewhere in the middle

The crisis did not happen as the West expected, but not everything is as rosy as the Russian government claims. Despite all the efforts to replace imports, everything is imported by a third, no matter how hard they try to produce their own. And it is unlikely that this figure will reach half in the near future.

Due to sanctions, Russia is forced to conclude unprofitable contracts for itself in the long term and increase its dependence on China. The impact of sanctions would have been more significant if not for the global recession.

What will happen if Kazakhstan raises the VAT rate?

2025-02-14 02:37:06

These reforms, which the government is trying to implement, will further exacerbate the economic problems in the country.

The problem of budget deficits is solved by levying additional taxes, not by optimizing expenditures. The reforms that are supposed to improve the tax situation in the country will worsen the economic situation and lead to higher prices. The government itself is not only not planning to reduce its costs, but will also increase them following the growth.

The VAT increase will accelerate the depletion of the national fund from 10 years to 5 years.

What will happen if all countries start mining lithium at once?

2023-05-21 13:56:04

The price of lithium will fall, and in countries where it is mined, environmental problems will begin

Since the beginning of the decade, lithium has risen in price by hundreds of percent and will be in short supply for more than one year due to the needs of the energy transition, which is actively going on in the West and in China. In the near future, Europe will be heavily dependent on external supplies of lithium.

All countries want a piece of the lithium pie

The fight for lithium has begun in the world.

Can Putin put an end to the war, as Ukrainian propagandists claim?

2026-07-29 15:14:14

At the moment, ending the war on Ukraine's terms is tantamount to losing for Russia, as well as for Ukraine on Russia's terms.

A sustainable end to a conflict usually requires the actions and consent of both sides, and also depends on the situation on the battlefield, the political goals of the parties, and international factors. The thesis that Vladimir Putin can end the war at any moment was especially actively discussed in the period before the elections in Russia. One possible explanation is that after the elections, many expected new decisions to be taken aimed at continuing military operations, including a possible expansion of measures to recruit the armed forces. It was also assumed that with the onset of the autumn-winter period, the conditions of warfare would change: cold weather, rains, fogs and reduced daylight hours could affect the use of certain types of weapons, in particular drones, and tactics of the parties. In addition, it is assumed that the United States will be involved in a major military conflict in another region, and some of the political attention, diplomatic efforts, and military resources may be redistributed. In such a scenario, the war in Ukraine may become less prominent on the international information agenda, and the volume or nature of Western support for Ukraine may change.

There are no signs of a quick political compromise right now. Therefore, many observers consider it more likely that the war will continue in the near future than that it will end quickly.