And I cannot send donations from Russia to Meduza.io - Lativan based Russian speaking media targeted at Russia mostly. And other Russian people connot do this too.<p>Since Meduza was declared a "foreign agent" by Russian authorities (there's such a heavily burdening law here), they lost most advertisement and changed their model to donations.<p>I'm afraid they wouldn't survive this.<p>And government-owned media will continue to receive their subsidies from a country budget.<p>I feel like some things done these days are inflicting more collateral damage than supposed effect.
great. this is why india is furiously pushing for "rupay" card system that they ingenuously developed rather than just lapping up whatever visa/mastercard offer.<p>they can do 30/50% less fees than incumbent visa/MC and still operate in the ecosystem because all local gateways and tech stack has been built to incorporate Rupay card system same as visa/MC.
the end result is, suppose tomorrow USA orders visa to quit india, beyond a few hiccups, there is a good chance india can weather these american companies leaving the domestic ecosystem. that way, the indirect control USA has over the financial infrastructure of entire nations is reduced to a great extent.
seems russia has done the same so this is moot now but think of it this way.<p>visa/MC often cry to mommy USA about unfair advantage to rupay cards in india and the US tries to intervene. suppose india bans Visa tomorrow, why is the US government so inclined to intervene in that case? unless this is their way of maintaining a degree of control
Just talked about this today with a few of my Russian friends.<p>This only prompts Putin ratings to grow.<p>It frustrates the opposition (30% of Russians).<p>But it also makes the supporters hate the west even more.<p>So if all these sanctions are there to frustrate people to create a coup and a revolution - its currently working in the opposite direction.<p>EDIT: I don't mean it as something that I wish, just stating an opinion from locals I have spoken with.
<i>sigh</i><p>Fifty years ago, the dollar had value because America was the one-stop-shop for everything. Cars, electronics, appliances, all of it.<p>Nowadays, that's China. China makes everything, or the parts to make everything, and increasingly to a higher standard than can be produced in the US. Go watch Project Farm and think on those results.<p>The dollar has value now because it functions as a medium of exchange. That's it. The machinery of international purchasing and banking works in dollars, but that's not a <i>given</i>.<p>Kicking Russia out of SWIFT undermines that entire system. Doesn't matter if it's expedient or warranted or if you just really fucking hate Ivan. It is now very clear to every single bank on the planet that the USG is willing to use commercial entities as a weapon against your country. Not just banks, either: technology companies, medical suppliers, all the rest.<p>That has very real long-term consequences, and I wouldn't be surprised if China and Russia jointly rolled out a competing standard within the next decade. The combination of "you're using this if you want to buy from us" and "can you really trust the Americans?" is not going to have good consequences for the USD.
I know it might be very tempting in these times, but whatever you do please do not accept crypto! [0]<p>It isn't the solution. please use cash or PayPal instead (try in another country)<p>[0] <a href="https://www.stephendiehl.com/blog/against-crypto.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.stephendiehl.com/blog/against-crypto.html</a>
Expect Russia to retaliate against MasterCard. If this is your sole credit card you might want to look for alternatives in case their computers go down.
Ask HN: Is it possible to create counter-terrorist consensus on blockchain? <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30510973" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30510973</a>
Not only does Russia have its own financial interchange system but they have their own credit card network as well. Visa and MasterCard were forced to integrate with them early on in order to get a toe hold in the country. This will do more to hurt MasterCard then Moscow.<p>Hindsight being perfect, one of the worst blunders the US ever made was turning their backs when the Soviet Union collapsed. That was their one chance to jump in and shape things in their favor, instead they opened Pizza Huts.