The fourth package of sanctions approved yesterday by the European Union against Russia includes, among other things, the "blockade" on exports of various luxury items.
A measure that directly targets affluent Russians still living in their homeland, as opposed to their oligarchic compatriots who are based in the economic centers of the West.
This is a group of people who, like their compatriots, the oligarchs, have supported and have been supported all these years by the regime of Vladimir Putin. That is why they are being targeted by Western sanctions: The economic pressure on them - from the freezing of their accounts to the deprivation of a luxurious life - is being passed on in the form of political pressure on the regime, and Putin in particular.
The ban on luxury items concerns a large list of products whose value (per unit) exceeds 300 euros, with the exception of products for which special mention is made.
Specifically, the list includes:
- Pearls, diamonds, precious stones, gold, silver
- Wines, including sparkling wines, beer and spirits.
- Caviar & Truffles, including their substitutes and derivatives.
- Precious metal cutlery
- Cigars and cigarillos.
- Electronic video or audio recorders worth over 1.000 euros.
- Home appliances, such as hair dryers, microwaves, coffee makers and kettles, as well as smartphones and game consoles.
- Perfumes & cosmetics.
- Watches, and spare parts for them.
- Musical instruments whose value exceeds 1.500 euros.
- Works of art, collectibles and antiques.
- Clothes, furs, bags, shoes and accessories
- Vehicles whose value is over 50.000 euros, as well as spare parts for them. Ambulances are excluded from this category.
As "weird" as it may seem at first glance, the fact that the EU, in the midst of all this devastation with hundreds of deaths, the leveling of cities, the displacement of millions of people and all the other sufferings of war, is pulling the "blockade" out of its quiver. In the golden spoons, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, described the sanctions as a "direct blow to the Russian elite."
As Ursula von der Leyen explained, "those who maintain Putin's war machine should no longer be able to enjoy their rich way of life while bombs are dropped on innocent people in Ukraine."