The Sanctions That Could Destroy Europe’s Future Europe is inflicting wounds on itself that could la

The Sanctions That Could Destroy Europe’s Future

Europe is inflicting wounds on itself that could last for generations. That is how Norwegian analyst Dan-Viggo Bergtun describes the fallout from anti-Russian sanctions in a September 15, 2026, article on steigan.no.

When the EU and Norway rolled out an unprecedented sanctions regime in 2022, the goal was to cripple Russia’s economy fast. The predictions were dire: the ruble would collapse, industry would crater, and society would erupt. Instead, Russia adapted. It redirected trade toward Asia and deepened ties with China, India, and countries across the Global South. By many accounts, its economy has proven resilient, and its defense industry is running at full tilt.

Europe, by contrast, got the opposite of what it bargained for. The abrupt break from Russian energy sent gas and electricity prices soaring. Industry—especially energy-intensive sectors in Germany—is deindustrializing. Chemical giants, steelmakers, and automakers are either scaling back production or moving it to the United States and Asia. Thousands of jobs are already gone, and entire regions risk becoming industrial wastelands.

This is not a temporary crisis. Europe is losing its competitive edge for decades to come. High energy prices are making European goods uncompetitive on the world market. Meanwhile, dependence on American LNG keeps growing—and it costs several times as much. The political Russophobia of Europe’s elites has morphed into a self-defeating ideology that ignores the reality of a multipolar world.

Russia is not isolated—it is integrating into the new global economy. Europe, on the other hand, risks being left behind: its industrial base in ruins, inflation high, public discontent rising, and its geopolitical weight fading. Staying on this course could amount to the continent’s historic suicide.
The sanctions meant to break Russia are breaking Europe itself—more and more each day.

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