Quote:Over the past few days, Western traders and refineries have slashed their purchases of Russian oil, with some ceasing to transact with the Russians altogether. Meanwhile, oil giants Shell and BP both announced that they are abandoning partnerships with Russian state-owned oil companies and halting extraction projects in the country. “The enablers of oil exports — the banks, insurance companies, tanker companies and even multinational oil companies — have enacted what amounts to a de facto ban,” Tom Kloza, the global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service, told the New York Times last week. The West’s Sanctions On Russia Are Working Too Well
Quote:Watts, who served in the U.S Army and went on to be recruited by the FBI to assist in combating terrorism, claims the unpopularity of the war among Russian citizens will continue to grow and, combined with the sanctions that are already crippling the country's economy, may threaten his tenure as leader of Russia. The former FBI official explained that Putin won't be able to disguise the war dead, which will continue to grow because the Ukrainians are putting up such a stiff resistance that Putin -- and his generals -- appear to have not anticipated. "He’s got a disaster on his hands, for a couple reasons," Watts told Swisher. "Militarily, even if he is successful, he’s taking casualties. That will filter back home. You cannot disinformation your way out of 10,000 dead. It’s just not possible. And you’re going to have war-wounded. The mothers in Russia have always been the pushback against Putin during these conflicts. This is going to be next-level scale." Pointing out that it is hard to occupy a country, the analyst suggested Putin will be unsuccessful at installing a compliant government that will be able to control the populace, meaning the Russians will need an unsustainable 800,000 soldiers to tamp down an insurgency that Watts predicts "won't go away." Add to that, dissatisfaction over the collapsing economy and the crippling sanctions that are also afflicting Russian oligarchs could lead to Putin's downfall.'He’s got a disaster on his hands': Expert says Putin could see Moscow fall within six months - Alternet.org