1 Jun 2023

I just returned from a month-long visit to Russia, during which time I had the
opportunity to see a dozen different cities covering nearly the entire expanse
of the Russian Federation. Prior to my departure, I was filling up the tank of
my car, when I noticed a sticker on the gas pump.

The sticker portrayed a smiling Joe Biden, the President of the United States,
gesturing to his right. Underneath the image were printed the words, "I did
this!"

Far from being a compliment, the sticker was a form of humorous protest against
the Russia sanctions adopted last year after the start of the special military
operation. Many of these sanctions involved Russian energy, and the resulting
economic chaos in global energy markets prompted gas prices to surge. Biden was
quick to blame Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming on June 22, 2022, that
"the simple truth is gas prices are up almost $2.00 a gallon because of Vladimir
Putin's ruthless attack on Ukraine."

Biden called the increase in cost "Putin's Price Hike", but the American people
saw through the subterfuge, as the sticker on the pump proved. If anything, the
increase in gas prices prompted many Americans to look at the sticker after
examining the bill, and sarcastically proclaim, "Thank you, Joe Biden."

Upon my arrival to Russia, I expected to see a nation heavily impacted by the
consequences of American-led sanctions. Instead, I saw a nation undergoing an
economic revival, in large part thanks to the policies Russia was compelled to
undertake because of Western sanctions. When I told my Russian hosts about the
sticker at the gas pump and my sarcastic appreciation, they laughed. "Send us
the stickers," they said. "And we will thank Joe Biden with all the sincerity we
can muster!"
-- Cont'd at https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/scott-ritter-sanctions-against-russia-failed-i-saw-it-firsthand--1110837966.html