Many People May Have Missed...

 ... an important emphasis which many Russian top officials and industries' captains started to use in the last weeks. And I am not talking about Dmitri Medvedev. Sergei Chemezov went on record a few days ago that all technological "advantage" of the West over Russia is a myth. Many people start to talk now openly about a complete implosion of West's political, technological and economic mythology. It is one thing when I do this for years, totally another when it becomes a choir of very high positioned voices in Russia. The thing which comes to mind is this photo, now a meme, of Elvira Nabiullina looking at Christine Lagarde with barely hidden irony, if not sarcasm. 

These are two different weight categories both professionally and intellectually portrayed in this photo. Or rather a real professional and an amateur who Lagarde is. Nabiullina is a professional economist with degree from Moscow State University, Lagarde is a lawyer. 

Today, RT published the interview with Elvira:

— Politico magazine called you the “disruptor of the year” – among other things – for helping Russia adapt to the sanctions. Do you agree with this? And in your opinion, have we overcome all challenges? Are there any new shocks ahead?

— It's hard for me to answer the first part of the question. I believe that the central bank has long pursued a policy aimed at protecting incomes from devaluation as a result of high inflation, and we will continue doing so. [We have also worked on] ensuring the stability of the financial sector, which would allow people and businesses to preserve their savings and provide financial resources for economic restructuring. We see that economic restructuring is happening quite quickly. This is primarily due to the market-based nature of our economy and the business [sector], which has adapted very quickly. Of course, we may be tempted to think that we did so well in 2022, and now, as they say, we have weathered the storm. But we must be prepared for increased sanctions and pressure. We were able to respond to the main challenges, particularly in the financial sector, but even in that sector, there are still unresolved problems, including cross-border payments. Yes, [payment] chains are being constructed, and they are constantly changing, but [cross-border payments] remain a problem for many businesses. However, according to our surveys, this problem has become slightly less severe.

She is definitely a woman of very serious abilities. And she was instrumental in ensuring Russian economy withstood unprecedented economic war unleashed on it by the West, and here we are today--Russian manufacturing sector grows by 5.5%, Russia is awash in cash and all this while Russia conducts SMO but outproduces NATO in all critical military materiel by insane margin. But that is how Kremlin operates--nobody cares if you are liberal or communist, if you are a serious professional you will be able to thrive. Boy, I can only imagine how she is hated in the White House and Brussels. Ah yes, her, now legendary, brooches. 

In related news--what a maroon:

The Netherlands should urgently get ready to face a security challenge posed by an “increasingly assertive” Russia, the nation’s Land Forces commander, Lieutenant General Martin Wijnen, said on Thursday. Amsterdam should strengthen the military and help the society adapt to the potential hardships of war, he added. Moscow supposedly has designs on the Baltic States – the former Soviet Republics, which have since joined NATO and the EU – after it is done with Ukraine, the general claimed. “The Netherlands should not think that [its] safety is guaranteed just because we are 1,500 kilometers away,” Wijnen warned, adding that “Russia is getting stronger.” Wijnen told De Telegraaf newspaper on Thursday that the Netherlands “must work on [its] operational readiness, ensure that we have enough deterrence to deprive any adversary of the courage to [attack] us.”He also claimed that “there is only one language that Russia understands,” and that is the one “of robust Armed Forces.” 

Yeah, yeah, I know, he needs money, but spewing BS will not help, because Europe is beginning to feel first results of "alliance" with the US. Hey, US needs to eat too, you know. And yes, Russians look at Europe now in the same way Nabiullina looks at Lagarde--with contempt.