Defying sanctions, Russia seemingly undeterred is stepping up its deadly attacks on Ukraine.
However, astonishingly open statements by the head of the Russian central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, on Easter Monday show that the penalties imposed by the West are not ineffective, even though they have so far mainly affected the financial system and the most important foreign exchange earners, oil and gas, are still spared.
The head of the central bank is now unabashedly preparing her compatriots for severe economic losses, technological regression and very high price increases.
The threatened lawsuit against the sanctions also signals that the costs are now being felt across the board and that the regime must strive for acceptance by making visible to the outside what it is doing to protect its citizens.
That should encourage Germany and the EU to tighten the sanctions more quickly: to shorten the transitional period of the coal embargo, to now also impose the oil boycott that has been publicly considered for some time and at least partially skim off the gas revenues through tariffs.