At the end of April, once the first round of Western sanctions against Russia had taken effect, Vladimir Putin warned the U.S. and Europe that he would not let the assault on Russia go unpunished. “The Russian government has already proposed some retaliatory steps,” the Russian President said, and he would “have to think about” hitting back if the West continued to sanction Russia over the crisis in Ukraine. He wasn’t bluffing. This week Russia began lashing out against Western farmers and businesses, as well as Western diplomatic efforts in Iran, as part of a counter-offensive that most observers did …read more
Source: Time