Do you have a spare dollar?

The red phone above the bread counter is not a real emergency phone; it's a joke. It hangs where Denis Maximov sells cakes or pirozhki – but it symbolizes the absurd situation many Russian entrepreneurs are currently facing. Because the state is taking so much money from businesses for Putin’s war that it feels like you have to keep calling the Kremlin and asking, “Do you have a ruble?”Most people think that sanctions primarily affect Russia through its trade with the West. But what is often overlooked is that the true cost of the war is currently being borne by Russian companies and their employees – directly and tangibly, every day. The government needs billions for the war in Ukraine. So, new taxes are being invented, and levies are being increased. For many companies, this is the last straw. Denis Maximov, the baker with the red telephone, exemplifies thousands of people who are suddenly wondering how they will pay their wages. Maximov used to be optimistic; he invested. Now he says, “It's just not enough anymore, no matter what I do.”The numbers speak for themselves: Since the start of the war, corporate taxes in Russia have risen by up to 30%. Inflation is eating away at profits, and wages are unable to keep up with prices. A personal anecdote: One of Maximov's acquaintances closed his small café because the tax burden became too high. “We tried everything,” he says. “In the end, the tax office arrived faster than the customers.”And while many in the West are focusing on oil prices and sanctions, a different dynamic is at play in the day-to-day life of Russian cities: the 'special operation,' as Putin calls the war, is being paid for out of the pockets of the population. What almost no one considers is that this financial drain is hitting the middle class in particular – people who have been the backbone of the country up to now. Is it conceivable that this forced solidarity will eventually falter? That discontent will no longer be kept behind closed doors? Anyone familiar with the Russian system knows that fear of the state is great, but anger is quietly growing with every missing ruble. The bottom line: Putin's war doesn't just cost rubles – it eats into every bakery and every family. If, after reading this story, you feel that your view of sanctions and the costs of war has shifted, you can use I'm In on Lara Notes: By doing so, you are saying that this perspective is now part of who you are. And if, at some point, you talk to someone about the hidden costs of Putin's war, there's Shared Offline on Lara Notes – that way, your conversation won't be forgotten. This text was sourced from Süddeutsche.de. You saved just under half a minute.