Putin Spox Boasts ‘We Have Developed Immunity’ To Sanctions 

The big geopolitical headline this week was President Trump on Monday and Tuesday making clear that if Russia can’t reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine within 10 days, secondary sanctions will follow, which takes the new deadline to Friday, Aug. 8.

The Kremlin has again responded in follow-up, boasting that Russia has developed immunity to sanctions, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing an economy which has been functioning successfully for a long time under huge, unprecedented sanctions.

“We have been living under a huge number of sanctions for quite a long time. Our economy operates under a huge number of restrictions. Therefore, of course, we have already developed a certain immunity to this,” Peskov told reporters.

Indeed this is consistent with recent observations of Western travelers, including Tucker Carlson, who say that grocery and clothing stores are stocked full, and life is going along as usual in all major cities.

Still, not all is rosy – especially in southern border areas impacted by regular Ukrainian drone strikes. Russian forces are busy trying to create sizeable buffer zones within Ukraine.

Also, unexplained internet outages are happening with increased frequency across multiple parts of Russia. One fresh report points to a mobile internet shut down which happened in 62 regions simultaneously on Monday.

This has prompted calls for Russians to ‘be prepared’ – with state sources citing security measures resulting in occasional service disruptions: 

A senior Russian lawmaker is urging citizens to adjust to the growing likelihood of widespread internet disruptions by relying more on cash and preparing for reduced access to digital services.

Vladimir Gutenev, head of the State Duma’s Industry and Trade Committee, told the pro-Kremlin news outlet Life that Russians should be ready for “regular and necessary” internet shutdowns and recommended withdrawing cash in advance to avoid being caught off guard.

“Restricting or shutting down the internet is a necessary measure,” Gutenev said. “There are critical infrastructure facilities whose failure could have serious consequences.”

Essentially, all of this points to the Kremlin’s planning not to comply with Trump’s ultimatum. Likely, the White House knows that it can’t force Russia to the negotiating table, especially when Ukraine’s Zelensky is refusing to agree to territorial concessions.

But the Trump administration likely wants to be seen as “doing something” and so the usual sanctions playbook can create that appearance, and perhaps satisfy the hawks as well as some European allies. But it is tantamount to kicking the can down the road, and once again risking direct confrontation with Russia militarily – all the while the policy is unlikely to achieve the intended results.