By Onwong’a Yabesh
EU and US humanitarian efforts designed avert more loss lives and properties in Ukraine commendable. Troubles started in civilized Europe in recent weeks when Russia’s worst attack since ww2 was meted out on poor and innocent Ukraine for fear of joining NATO security custodians amid backlash of protests across Europe and globe The invasion meant to take place just minutes and declare to the entire globe that is still a super power as proved long, horrific and perilous. As the adage goes, the hunter become the hunted is the resultant in incumbent strong, international actions aimed at de-horning Russia vested interests on Ukraine with far reaching effects. Economic sanctions on Russia seems to affect ordinary more and having long and little impacts on the targets as more loss lives and properties continue unabated.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been met with myriad sanctions imposed by many western nations. Imposing economic sanctions is often seen as an alternative to military intervention. The idea is that sanctions cause economic damage and coerce the target to change its objectionable course of action.
Although economic sanctions are widely used, their effectiveness is often debated. Recent research on sanctions has generally concluded that economic sanctions seldom change behaviour, especially those aimed at disrupting military interventions. If national security is viewed as being at stake, sanctions simply aren’t sufficiently costly. More recent evidence suggests that imposing sanctions slows economic growth and development, widens the poverty gap, restricts access to food and medicines and exacerbates inequalities.
Already, we’re watching ordinary Russians bearing the brunt of the ongoing economic sanctions as the ruble has lost 40 per cent of its value and interest rates increased to 20 per cent.
Further isolating Russia and Putin from the international community also gives the Russian autocratic regime yet another opportunity to impose more repressive policies on its citizens and opposition parties. As the world rightfully fears for the Ukrainian people, we must not turn a blind eye to Russians who are also Putin’s victims. These comes backlash protests against Russia mounts in Russia,Europe and the world mounts. Rallies in Florence , Naples, Italians ,Ukrainians ,Italy, Milan and Rome against the war in Ukraine.In Russia over 13,000 protesters arrested as a Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at state-controlled Channel 1, was detained after she ran on to the set on holding a sign saying “no war”stop this senseless war.
In BerlinTens of thousands carried flags in the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine, while others bore banners reading “Stop the War” and “Peace and Solidarity for the people in Ukraine said they were Russians ashamed about what their country was doing.
This goes on as European Council of 51 members meeting is scheduled 24-25 March 2022.This meeting should change tack as Russia plans to quit EU.Any lesson from appeasement policy Britain and its allies applied , and at the same time allowed its citizens time to slowly adjust and accept the impending reality of brutal conflict with Nazi Germany in ww1 of 1914-18?
According the United Nations at least 752 civilian casualties so far across Ukraine, with 227 killed and 525 injured, including scores of children. Those figures are likely to grow significantly as the conflict has escalated in more cities and towns across the nation.
The Ukrainian State Emergency Service argues that more than 3 millions fled as 2,000 civilians have been killed since the invasion began. Ukraine’s army says more than 9,000 Russian soldiers have died in fighting, but Moscow has announced that 498 of its troops have died and 1,597 been injured.
Russia, in turn, claims 2,870 Ukrainian troops have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded as Eu and USA economic sanctions on Russia has also put pressure on other countries like Kenya growing risks of inflation as the Ukraine crisis’s effects on the world’s economies. Prices of crude palm oil have jumped by 33 percent due to the Ukrainian crisis, as sector players initiate efforts to urge the government to contain a further rise in cooking oils.
Manufacturers of cooking oil are now buying palm oil, the main raw material at between $1760 (Sh200,534) per metric tonne and $1980 (Sh225,522) after the escalation of Ukraine-Russia conflicts last month.
Before the conflict, the commodity retailed at $1490 (Sh168,578) per tonne, having more than doubled from $700 per tonne before the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. Plans to restore old Soviet Union which In 1990s loss of Russian-dominated Soviet Union states encompassed 15 republics—Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Latvia is hit by backlash.Over 13,000 have been arrested in Mosco protesting Russia inavasion.Media houses locally and internationally have clearly indicated that Russia plans to quit EU ahead of Eu forum scheduled on 24th next week Mosco being key agenda.As EU and Us plans they borrow aleaf from Britain-Frrance appeasement policy prior to ww1.That in mind, incumbent economic restrictions on Russia seems to hit hard ordinary Russians opposed to the invasion as well as entire world. Its high time for EU and US change tack in dealing with Ukranian question.
Onwong’a who writes on topical issues works at the Kisii University
