Russia has developed immunity to sanctions: Kremlin

Perth Now

2 days ago

The Kremlin says it continues to monitor statements by US President Donald Trump regarding sanctions against Russia but that the country has acquired immunity to such measures thanks to long experience.
Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Russia in 10 days if it showed no progress towards ending its more than three-year-long war in Ukraine.
"We have been living under a huge number of sanctions for quite a long time, our economy operates under a huge number of restrictions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"Therefore, of course, we have already developed a certain immunity in this regard, and we continue to note all statements that come from President Trump, from other international representatives on this matter."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the threat of new sanctions "routine" and said it was odd that the US and its allies had not yet understood that imposing such measures did not work and only served to hurt their own economies.
"We see that the West simply cannot let go of the issue of sanctions. It seems as if they are constantly stuck in a rut," Zakharova told a news briefing in Moscow.
"Apparently, there are no other options left - they have been exhausted. We are responding and taking measures to counteract all of this or even turn it to our own advantage."
A Russian missile hit a Ukrainian army training ground, killing three soldiers and wounding 18 others, authorities said on Wednesday.
The Russian defence ministry said the strike killed or wounded about 200 Ukrainian troops.
The ministry said Ukraine's 169th training centre near Honcharivske in the Chernihiv region was hit with two Iskander missiles, one armed with multiple submunitions and another with high explosives.
The United Nations mission in Ukraine says there has been a worsening trend in civilian casualties from Russian attacks in 2024, with 6754 civilians killed or injured in the first half of 2025 - representing a 54 per cent increase from the same period in 2024.
Since Russia launched an all-out invasion of neighbouring Ukraine on February 24, 2022, at least 13,580 Ukrainian civilians, including 716 children, have been killed, according to the UN.
Ukrainian forces are mostly hanging on against a grinding northern hemisphere summer push by Russia's bigger army, although the Russian defence ministry has claimed some recent small advances at places along the 1000km front line.
Ukrainian ground forces acknowledged that a Russian strike hit a military training ground in the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine but its casualty report differed widely from one issued by Russia.
A Russian defence ministry video showed multiple small explosions apparently caused by a missile with a shrapnel warhead followed by one big blast, apparently from the other one armed with a high-explosive warhead.
A similar Russian strike occurred last September, when two ballistic missiles blasted a Ukrainian military academy and nearby hospital, killing more than 50 people and wounding more than 200 others.
Ukrainian authorities said a commission had been formed to determine whether negligence or misconduct by officials contributed to the casualties in Chernihiv.
The attack was the fourth deadly strike in as five months on Ukrainian military facilities, with the previous strikes killing at least 46 soldiers and wounded more than 160, according to official reports.
Ukraine can ill afford to lose more troops.
Although it has more than one million Ukrainians in uniform, including the National Guard and other units, it needs more.
Deeply rooted problems have bedevilled Ukraine and brought questions about how its officials are managing the war, from a flawed mobilisation drive to the overstretching and hollowing out of frontline units through soldiers going away without leave.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a bill on Tuesday that allows Ukrainian men over the age of 60 to voluntarily sign contracts with the armed forces.
The law allows those who want to contribute their experience and skills, particularly in non-combat or specialised roles.
Ukraine lowered its conscription age from 27 to 25 but that has failed to replenish ranks or replace battlefield losses.
with AP