With winter still far away, it is already clear that Western support for Ukraine through economic sanctions against the Putin regime is being blamed for the energy and inflation crisis, which is putting the middle and lower classes on the verge of a nervous breakdown, according to Diario de Noticias, Rador quoted.

Moscow’s supporters, whether on the far right or the far left, play on the sophistry that the peoples of Western democracies should not suffer from this crisis and that it is only because their governments led them to war.

Within this sophistry, the defense of democracy obviously does not enter the equation, since the radicals do not consider it necessary.

It is clear that the war that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exacerbated the energy crisis and fueled an inflationary spiral in which wage restraint is the only element preventing further inflation.

But this loss of purchasing power, caused by wages not keeping up with inflation, if it continues, will eventually be used by Putin’s populist allies to undermine citizens’ confidence in the democratic governments they have elected.

It is worth remembering that the inflation, which the ECB and the Fed considered temporary, began in 2021 and was the result not only of difficulties in supply chains and a general increase in energy prices, but above all, the existence of too much money in circulation.

Central banks fueled the inflation they were supposed to fight by pumping money into the economy at very low or even negative interest rates. Again, fearing a prolonged cooling of the economy, they created a new crisis with a strategy to deal with an existing crisis.

It’s scary to hear political leaders like the president of the republic this weekend, without much explanation, express the opinion that the monster “inflation may come down, starting in October or November.”

As if the billions of euros from various bazookas in this Europe, as well as special programs in each country to help families and companies overcome the energy crisis that will worsen in winter, were not enough guarantee that inflation will remain high.

It may not be 9%, as it is now in Portugal, but 8.5, 8, 7.5 over a total of 12 months, or fall from 20% in the Baltic countries, but it will remain a serious problem for low-income families for a long time.

The point is that citizens need to be told, as Emmanuel Macron suggests, that the time of plenty is over.

From the large amount of money that irresponsible governments like to spend on all problems, to the large amount of energy that irresponsible governments like to use as if it were unlimited.

With an aggravating factor, in the case of European countries, the need to import a significant part of the energy they consume. The score is here, it gets harder.

Vladimir Putin is counting on this. Come winter, Western public opinion won’t find it funny to support Ukraine fighting Russia with sanctions if it means a recession caused by a lack of Russian gas in Central European industry and frozen homes.

In Moscow, they rub their hands, waiting for the arrival of the famous general.