{"id":1249166,"date":"2022-01-27T22:53:02","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T03:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1249166"},"modified":"2022-01-27T22:53:07","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T03:53:07","slug":"ukrainians-shrug-off-biden-war-panic-people-are-more-worried-about-gas-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukrainians-shrug-off-biden-war-panic-people-are-more-worried-about-gas-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainians Shrug Off Biden War Panic: &#039;People Are More Worried About Gas Prices&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fukrainians-shrug-off-biden-war-panic-people-are-more-worried-about-gas-prices%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1249166&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Ukr-640x335-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">Many Ukrainians appear more concerned about the potential economic fallout of panic over a Russian invasion \u2013 including a decline in the value of the national currency and potentially soaring natural gas prices \u2013 than any military activity on its own, locals told Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty (RFE\/RL) on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 and colonized its Crimea region, and is still illegally present there and attempting to legitimize its presence through measures like distributing Russian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rferl.org\/a\/ukraine-russia-issues-half-million-passports-2-years\/31234248.html\">passports<\/a> to residents of Ukraine. In the east of the country, pro-Russia \u201cseparatists\u201d have waged war on Kyiv since 2014, as well. Russian officials claim to have no ties to the war in eastern Donbas, but the Ukrainian government and other international observers have documented extensive evidence of Russian government support for the war there.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Fears of a further Russian invasion into Ukraine escalated last week after President Joe Biden appeared to indicate that America would not defend Ukraine in the event of a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2022\/01\/20\/zelensky-to-biden-no-minor-incursions\/\">minor incursion<\/a>\u201d by Russia into the country. Biden also predicted that Russian leader Vladimir Putin would shortly begin a formal invasion of the entirety of Ukraine and his State Department withdrew the families of U.S. embassy workers stationed in Kyiv this weekend, triggering international panic.<\/p>\n<p>The administration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed confusion in response to the Biden administration\u2019s moves, calling the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2022\/01\/24\/confused-ukraine-calls-biden-diplomatic-pullout-premature-excessive\/\">withdrawal<\/a> of embassy workers\u2019 families \u201cpremature\u201d and \u201cexcessive,\u201d and insisting that an imminent Russian invasion is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2022\/01\/25\/ukraine-insists-further-russian-invasion-impossible\/\">impossible<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Kyiv, interviewees&nbsp;<a class=\"c-link\" tabindex=\"-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rferl.org\/a\/ukraine-war-americans-evacuated-messaging\/31671180.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.rferl.org\/a\/ukraine-war-americans-evacuated-messaging\/31671180.html\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\" data-remove-tab-index=\"true\">told<\/a>&nbsp;RFE\/RL, residents appear more concerned that the \u201c<a class=\"c-link\" tabindex=\"-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2022\/01\/20\/ukraines-zelensky-tries-to-clean-up-biden-mess-russian-invasion-risks-havent-increased\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2022\/01\/20\/ukraines-zelensky-tries-to-clean-up-biden-mess-russian-invasion-risks-havent-increased\/\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\" data-remove-tab-index=\"true\">hype<\/a>,\u201d as Zelensky put it, would tank the country\u2019s economy than they are about any alleged imminent Russian invasion.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cPeople are more worried about [home-heating] gas prices, they are worried about the hryvnya [the national currency],\u201d Viktor Andrusiv, the director of the Kyiv School of Public Administration, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rferl.org\/a\/ukraine-war-americans-evacuated-messaging\/31671180.html\">told<\/a> the U.S. news service. \u201cUkrainians, people are more focused on these issues, not on the war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andrusiv attributed Zelensky\u2019s insistence that Russia is not about to attempt a seizure of Kyiv to the fact that widespread belief in that potential event would destroy the country\u2019s economy and make such an event more likely. Zelensky, he said, has \u201cto make statements to quiet people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an economic problem \u2014 they don\u2019t want people to run to the shops, and that is why they are speaking in this way,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>Zelensky has all but admitted that this is the case. In a speech last week responding to Biden\u2019s \u201cminor incursion\u201d press conference, Zelensky asserted that panic triggered by war \u201chype\u201d was the true threat to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t the invasion start in 2014? Has the threat of war emerged just now? These risks have existed for more than a year, and they haven\u2019t increased,\u201d Zelensky&nbsp;<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2022\/01\/20\/ukraines-zelensky-tries-to-clean-up-biden-mess-russian-invasion-risks-havent-increased\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">said<\/a>. \u201cWhat has increased is the hype around them.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAll our citizens, especially the elderly, need to understand this. Take a deep breath. Calm down,\u201d Zelensky asked Ukrainians. \u201cKeep your head calm and cool, remain confident in your strength, in your Army, in our Ukraine. Do not get anxious, react smartly to everything, not emotionally! With your head, not your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday night, Zelensky issued more nationally televised remarks apparently addressing concerns around natural gas and heating. Ukraine is currently in the middle of a typically harsh winter; Kyiv is <a href=\"https:\/\/weather.com\/weather\/tenday\/l\/Kyiv+Kiev+Ukraine?canonicalCityId=0b66fcc8c4490e8b96bcf6af087a80df429e7ce442645cf1a27546703dbd551a\">expecting<\/a> daytime temperatures in the 20s and 30s all week, dropping into the teens at night.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re working 24\/7 and will continue to do so to make sure you stay warm, full, and healthy,\u201d Zelensky said in remarks on Tuesday, according to the state outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-polytics\/3391864-dont-be-afraid-of-internet-let-internet-be-afraid-of-us-zelensky-addresses-ukrainians.html\">Ukrinform<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that some countries extract PART of their diplomats does not imply inevitable escalation, being part of subtleties of a complex diplomatic game,\u201d Zelensky asserted, addressing the State Department pullout.<\/p>\n<p>Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna similarly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-economy\/3391167-vice-pm-escalation-part-of-russias-plot-affecting-ukraine-economy.html\">warned<\/a> on Tuesday of the potential military consequences of economic destabilization.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cContinued escalation without military invasion is also part of Russia\u2019s scenario, which has a strong impact on the Ukrainian economy and stability of the banking sector,\u201d Stefanishyna said, according to Ukrinform.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is strongly reflected in the Ukrainian economy and requires massive financial involvement to ensure stability of the banking sector,\u201d she explained. \u201cIn fact, the weekly investment in the banking system\u2019s stability is equal to all the military assistance that the United States has provided to Ukraine. Every week counts. Continued escalation benefits Russia more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Top national security official&nbsp;Oleksiy Danilov similarly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2022\/01\/25\/ukraine-says-destabilization-fueled-by-biden-admin-hysteria-not-russia\/\">asserted<\/a> in remarks this week that with a stable economy in Ukraine, \u201cthe Russians have nothing to do here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An American in Lviv, Ukraine, Herb Randall, told RFE\/RL that he sensed that Ukrainians \u201care so inured to war and violence since 2014 that the idea that Russia will invade doesn\u2019t qualify as \u2018news\u2019 for many,\u201d though the Biden administration urging Americans to leave has caused some alarm, and Randall himself has changed his original plans in order to leave as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to the sense that economic concerns in Ukraine are trumping military fears, photojournalists on the frontlines of the Donbas war <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rferl.org\/a\/ukraine-front-line-photographers-mood\/31670172.html\">told<\/a> RFE\/RL on Wednesday that the war front is \u201cquieter than in Kyiv.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone here knows what they have to do. There\u2019s nothing like the hysteria you see in the media at the moment. Over the past month nothing has really changed on the front lines,\u201d journalist&nbsp;Anatolii Stepanov told the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>Another journalist,&nbsp;Andriy Dubchak, told RFE\/RL that people on the front lines of the Donbas war appear to believe that the probability of another Russian invasion is higher than it was in the past.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople before didn\u2019t believe in the possibility. They felt it was the same situation as the similar troop and materiel buildup in the spring,\u201d Dubchak explained. \u201cNow, though, both soldiers and civilians are definitely affected by rumors of an attack. It\u2019s hard not to be, with all the news online and on TV.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again, however, Dubchak also noted economic concerns were at the forefront.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe value of the hryvnya is also dropping, and the price of petrol is rising,\u201d he explained. \u201cOne soldier told me he\u2019s \u2018tired of waiting\u2019 for a Russian invasion and said he would \u2018rather it was under way already.\u2019 He thought the chances of a full-scale war are about 50-50.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow Frances Martel on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643287487626000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3FUQUXd_l8yxhVde9H7F3k\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643287487626000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0x0dr_PgXYM7ME8mA6lbmQ\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many Ukrainians appear more concerned about the potential economic fallout of panic over a Russian invasion \u2013 including a decline in the value of the national currency and potentially soaring &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1249166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1249166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1249166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1249166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1249166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1249166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1249166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}