The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which they always deny, is really beginning to cost the country and its citizens.  The Russians insist they are not in Ukraine, just some of their army members who are on holiday have gone to help the separatists fight the Ukrainian government.  It is astounding that they believe such nonsense will be bought by the rest of the world, even if it appears that a large number of Russian citizens, deprived of a free and independent media, actually do believe that.  

The sanctions that have been put in place against Russia have however already led to the Ruble slumping 31% against the Dollar this year.  As a result, all foreign goods in Russia are obviously going to cost a lot more now and with oil prices down, that is creating additional problems for Russia because they sell.  It is again a lesson for South Africa and many other countries that if you don’t tow the line that the rest of the world requires you to follow, you will be punished in one way or another, and I enjoyed a quote by a money manager in London, Paul McNamara who said, “I would rather have root canal work than buy some rubles.  I don’t regard Russia as a sensible place to invest.”  The policies and actions of any country can lead to that country being punished by the majority of the countries of the rest of the world no matter what Russia said about ignoring the sanctions, and them having very little impact on Russia, they are clearly causing financial hardship within the country.