Russian President Vladimir Putin. SPUTNIK / REUTERS THE VERIFICATION – The rise in energy prices has played in favor of Russian finances. But can this situation be attributed to the economic retaliation measures taken by Western countries, as certain voices in France claim? The argument is increasingly frequent in public debate: Western sanctions against the Russia, far from weakening the country’s economy, would on the contrary have strengthened it. “The sanctions have enriched Russia, and above all they punish the French more”, affirmed the deputy of the National Rally Marine Le Pen in July. MEP Gilbert Collard does not say anything different: this week, he estimated on Twitter that “Russia is getting richer thanks to the EU: the people who govern us are protected by the idea that we have that the people who govern us are necessarily, because they govern, intelligent: no, they are c***!” Just recently, François Lenglet, economic columnist for TF1/LCI, affirmed that “Russia financing, it has literally been drowned in cash since the invasion of Ukraine”. According to him, this situation can be attributed to the sanctions imposed by Western countries. Cause-consequence inversionThe Union… This article is for subscribers only. You have 82% left to discover.Cultivating your freedom means cultivating your curiosity.Continue reading your article for €0.99 the first month Already a subscriber? Login