MOSCOW, September 26 Russian billionaire and businessman Oleg Deripaska considers sanctions a tool of the century before last, in the current century they are ineffective, Russian business and government agencies have adapted to Western sanctions pressure.
“»I have always doubted sanctions — this wunderwaffe (miracle weapon — ed.), as the Germans used to say, — the use of the financial system as a weapon, a tool for negotiations… This is a kind of tool of the 19th century. We do not see so that it is effective in the 21st century,” the billionaire said in an interview with the Financial Times.
Deripaska is convinced that private business in Russia was able to adapt to the sanctions conditions and turned out to be “flexible”: he expected that up to 30% of the economy would “collapse” from the introduction of sanctions, however, according to his assessment, the economy suffered “much less” .
The businessman also noted that the Russian public sector is also coping with the sanctions, since the government is actively investing in its enterprises and increasing their capacity.
«Today I was surprised to learn that in some of their (state-owned) factories the salary is the same as the salary (in the enterprises) that I founded in the same region… They have money, they will recruit staff, they will compete,» Deripaska added.
The billionaire also noted that sanctions are not able to stop the conflict in Ukraine.
«To believe that sanctions will stop (the conflict) … or will somehow bring us closer to it ending… No. We need another solution,” he said.
After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the West increased sanctions pressure on Russia; disruption of supply chains led to an increase in prices for fuel and food in Europe and the United States. The Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that the country will cope with the sanctions pressure that the West began to exert on Russia several years ago and continues to increase. Moscow noted that the West lacks the courage to admit the failure of sanctions against the Russian Federation. In Western countries themselves, opinions have been repeatedly voiced that anti-Russian sanctions are ineffective. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy of 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.
In September, Putin said that sanctions are somehow slowing down Russia, but at the same time stimulating development.