The national flag of Germany over the Bundestag building in Berlin. File photoBERLIN, Aug 21Deputy of the Left Party of Germany, Zeren Pelmann, called absurd the assertion that sanctions harm Russia more than Germany, and demanded that the government honestly calculate the effect of them, according to the German news agency dpa. It is noted that Pelmann received a response from the German Federal Ministry of Economics to his request, which says that the sanctions against Russia imposed because of the special operation are «effective», and this year the economic downturn in Russia could be up to 15%. The deputy questioned such an assessment, the agency points out. «It is absurd for the German government to continue to assert that sanctions will harm Russia more than us,» Pellmann told dpa. The deputy added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was hardly injured, but Germany, and especially the east of the country — very much. “We need an honest calculation of the effect of sanctions,” Pellmann said, adding that the destruction of German private farms and its production will not help Ukraine. After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the West increased sanctions pressure on Russia. Thus, Germany and other EU countries jointly adopted six packages of sanctions, including an embargo on coal and oil supplies. The disruption of supply chains has led to an increase in fuel and food prices in Europe and the United States. The response of the German Ministry of Economy notes that the sanctions are aimed at specific people, the sanctions weaken the financial capabilities of the Russian state, Russia's military potential and its industrial base «in the long term.» The sanctions imposed by the EU and its partners are deliberately designed in such a way that so that their impact will hit Russia much harder than the EU,» the answer to the deputy of the Left reads. The government also acknowledges that, due to economic interconnections, there is an effect for states that have imposed sanctions measures. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously stated that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy for the West, and sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy. According to him, the main goal of the West is to worsen the lives of millions of people.
