Putin wants widespread use of CBDCs, there is no doubt that Russia is following the UN’s global plan
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the “efficiency and functionality” of the Bank of Russia’s central bank digital currency (“CBDC”) and instructed his government to prepare for the widespread introduction of the digital ruble.
On Friday, Edward Slavsquat published an article about Russia’s insatiable appetite for “sustainable development.” In it, he described how the environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) agenda has become an “integral part” of Russia’s business environment, that Moscow is actively involved in promoting the ESG agenda and achieving the United Nations (“UN”) Agenda 2030’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”), and that the UN maintains partnerships with sanctioned Russian companies to pursue the SDGs.
He also noted that in May, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development introduced a new standard for reporting on sustainable development that factors in how companies’ “ESG indicators” help to achieve the UN’s SDGs. To add to the sinister nature of the agenda, the new reporting also factors in “social capital.”
“To top it all off,” Slavsquat wrote, “a recent article in Vedomosti explained how Russian businesses were eager to comply with EU ESG regulations. Yes, the same European bloc that is currently pouring weapons into Ukraine.”
This appetite for ESG extends into the BRICS countries. “BRICS isn’t just enthusiastic about ESG – it’s also boosting confidence in carbon credit scams,” Slavsquat said.
That was on Friday. For anyone who still believes Russia is opposing the UN’s plan to take over and control the world, you need to read Slavsquat’s report on Friday. You can read the full article HERE.
Russia is not only going full steam ahead on ESG and Agenda 2030, but the country is also well advanced in implementing totalitarian digital control through the use of a CBDC. Yesterday Slavsquat reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the full-scale implementation of the digital ruble, Russia’s CBDC.
Putin calls for “full-scale implementation” of digital ruble
Praising the “efficiency and functionality” of the Bank of Russia’s CBDC, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his government on Wednesday to prepare for the widespread introduction of the digital ruble.
“Now we need to take the next step, namely: move to a broader, full-scale implementation of the digital ruble in the economy, in business activities and in the financial sector,” Putin said during a meeting on economic issues.
Since August 2023, the Bank of Russia has been conducting a pilot program for the digital ruble involving 12 banks, 600 individuals and 22 trade service enterprises. The programme will be expanded in September to include an additional 20 credit institutions. Participants will be able to make payments via QR code during the second phase of testing.
The law on the digital ruble was adopted in July 2023, designating the Bank of Russia’s CBDC as the third form of national currency. The CBDC will be introduced into the economy beginning in 2025.
Despite widespread opposition to the digital ruble from across Russia’s political spectrum, the Bank of Russia and its media cheerleaders claim that the traceable, programmable, centralised digital token will help bypass sanctions and fight corruption through greater financial transparency.
However, Moscow already has an alternative to SWIFT that can be used to circumvent sanctions, and the Bank of Russia already has the ability to monitor all money transfers in the country.
On Russian Telegram channels, reactions to Putin’s call for the “full-scale implementation” of the digital ruble were mostly negative.
[Below, we have shown the images in Slavsquat’s article followed by a translation of the text using the translation tool provided by Telegram. We were unable to find the Telegram post shown in the last image to be able to translate it.]
The good news is that the Russian government might be too incompetent to fulfil Putin’s dream of a CBDC paradise.
“Considering the fantastic ability of the Russian authorities to fail any projects, scepticism about [the widescale adoption of the digital ruble] does not dissipate,” Russian commentator Anatoly Nesmiyan observed.
About the Author
Edward Slavsquat is a moniker sometimes used by Riley Waggaman, an American writer and journalist who has lived in Russia for close to a decade. He has contributed to many websites, including Anti-Empire, Russian Faith, Brownstone Institute, Unlimited Hangout, and Geopolitics & Empire. He worked for Press TV, Russia Insider and RT before going solo.
He publishes articles on a Substack page titled ‘Edward Slavsquat’ which you can subscribe to and follow HERE, and you can follow him on Twitter HERE.
Featured image: Russian central bank sets up CBDC trial of Digital Ruble for 2022 (left).
