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The war in Ukraine has been going on for 15 months. Although there has been speculation for months that Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) will eventually run out of money, there is no improvement in sight.
As a leaked Pentagon document from early March now shows, the fighting is likely to continue for quite some time. Accordingly, despite the sanctions, Russia can finance the war in Ukraine for a whole year. That reports the Washington Post.
Russian elites will continue to support the Kremlin
According to US intelligence agencies, the Kremlin is able to continue the war even under the heavy and increasing burden of unprecedented sanctions.
While some of Russia’s business elite disagree with the country’s course in Ukraine and the sanctions have hurt their businesses, they are unlikely to withdraw their support for the Kremlin chief, the top-secret report said. The elites will likely continue to support the Kremlin’s objectives in Ukraine and “help Moscow evade sanctions.”
In addition, the Kremlin is trying to ease economic pressures with higher corporate taxes, its sovereign wealth funds, more imports and corporate adaptability.
Putin continues to waive sanctions
Putin and his relatives continue to deny the consequences of the sanctions. At the beginning of this year, the Kremlin ruler even praised the resilience of the Russian economy and even stated that he had surpassed growth expectations.
The actual economic momentum has turned out better than many experts’ predictions, Putin said during a virtual meeting on the economy.
However, as the Washington Post writes, the classified document does not address other factors that could affect Russia’s combat effectiveness, such as ammunition spending and the need to recruit new soldiers. The impact of the newly imposed sanctions is also not discussed in the report.
A request from the newspaper to the White House for comment on the leaked document went unanswered.
The document is part of the Pentagon Leaks, which circulate dozens of top-secret documents from the US Department of Defense. US Secret Service agent Jack Teixeira (21) shared the information on a Discord server – a digital meeting place for like-minded people, often gamers – with 20 to 30 people. The documents later ended up on Telegram. Teixeira could face up to 15 years in prison. (dzc)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
