While we wait for new input, this is open thread for today.

A few new news items.

Sanctions:

The White House announced a new raft of sanctions on Russian individuals and business – here are the headlines:

▪️Sberbank and Alfa Bank among FULLY sanctioned institutions
▪️Putin’s adult daughters, FM Sergey Lavrov’s wife and daughter, frmr President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin
▪️Investment in Russia banned for all Americans and US residents, regardless of their location.

The US Treasury will also announce Thursday a list of “critical major Russian state-owned enterprises,” in order to ban any Americans from doing business with them and freeze their assets subject to US jurisdiction.

Scott Ritter, one of the western truth speakers, Twitter channel yanked – it is no more

Diplomat expulsions are reaching comical levels:

  • EU declares 19 employees of Russian Permanent Mission to European Union ‘persona non grata’
  • Google removes Russian Defense Ministry website from search results
  • Romania expels 10 Russian diplomats
  • Slovenia expels 33 Russian diplomats
  • Estonia to expel 14 Russian diplomats – closing consulate in Narva and Embassy in Tartu
  • Latvia to expel 13 Russian diplomats, close two Russian consulates
  • European Union will ban Russian ships from entering EU ports
  • Spain to expel ‘around’ 25 Russian diplomats
  • Sweden expels 3 Russian diplomats
  • Italy expels 30 Russian diplomats
  • Germany – 40
  • Denmark – 15

The EU’s new Moscow sanctions target coal, fertilizer, machinery – but NOT oil & gas imports

Comment (https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/1808191/) by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community

💬 On April 5, the European Union announced the expulsion of 19 diplomats from the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union in Brussels under far-fetched and groundless pretexts.

We view this step as categorically unacceptable and overtly unfriendly. The EU institutions, which have for some years been systematically demolishing the architecture of Russia-EU cooperation, now demonstrate a clear lack of interest in sustaining normal diplomatic channels of communication with our country.

The EU bears full responsibility for the consequences of this destructive action.

Our response will follow shortly.

Tomorrow as things stand so far, there is a vote in the UNGA to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.

Oh yes, almost forgot the important people:  EU diplomats failed to agree on a new package of sanctions against the Russian Federation and agree on a ban on the import of Russian coal.


Please use as open thread.