Russia's general public's reactions to the European Union's latest sanctions remain split, as the country is downplaying their impact on its critical oil and energy sector.
The EU's 18th sanctions package, its toughest one so far, took effect last week, targeting transactions linked to the Nord Stream gas pipelines and shadow fleet tankers.
Experts said that while new sanctions will complicate existing business routes and force businesses to look for new channels, they are unlikely to have an immediate impact or cripple the Russian economy that grew by 4.3 percent last year, compared to 0.7 percent in the Eurozone, stressing these restrictions are far more damaging to the bloc.
Officials said the country has already adjusted to earlier sanctions, pointing to 2022 as the hardest year, when Russia became the world's most sanctioned nation.
Economists are suggesting that Russia should respond to western curbs, targeting assets of western companies that used to operate in Russia.
Public reactions are mixed. Some citizens say the sanctions are barely felt and will not produce tangible effects.
"We live and we will continue to live. There have been so many packages before. We will somehow overcome it," said Diana, a resident.
"I think they are introducing sanctions because of hopelessness. They don't know how to hurt and to humiliate Russia. We don't feel here any effect on our life," said Marina, another resident.
Still, some admit the measures have disrupted everyday routines.
"Life has become more difficult -- payments, traveling, movement -- they have created problems," said Ivan.
"We discuss it in the family every day. We are tired of it. It’s very difficult," said Liuyda.
The new restrictions come as the conflict in Ukraine shows no signs of abating.
Russia said its resolve to achieve its goals in Ukraine will not change and the threat of more sanctions is unlikely to make Moscow change its course.
Russian general public have divided views on EU sanctions
China had completed 96 percent of the annual workload for the summer harvest as of Thursday, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Data from the ministry shows that, apart from northwestern regions including Xinjiang and Gansu where harvesting is still underway, all major wheat-producing regions such as the southwest and the Huang-Huai-Hai region that encompasses parts of the Yellow River, Huaihe River and Haihe River basins have wrapped up their harvesting. This year's large-scale mechanized wheat harvest across China has essentially come to an end.
The nationwide mechanized summer wheat harvest kicked off on May 28, progressing swiftly from south to north. The bulk of the operation was completed within 22 days, two days faster than last year.
During the peak period from May 31 to June 13, the country averaged more than 16 million mu (about 1.07 million hectares) of daily harvest. In central China's Henan Province, one of the major wheat-producing regions, farmers harvested more than 10 million mu a day for three consecutive days, getting the crucial phase of the rush done in roughly a week.
Technology has been a key driver behind this efficiency. Beyond the use of BeiDou-based operation monitoring systems, this year's summer harvest has also seen the deployment of upgraded domestically produced combine harvesters, with wheeled models achieving a feed rate of 12 kilograms per second and tracked models reaching 9 kilograms per second.
Moreover, the loss rate for grain harvested by machines was kept within a favorable range of below 1 percent across most regions. In some fields across Henan and Anhui provinces, loss rates were even held to around 0.5 percent, providing strong support for securing a bumper summer grain harvest and ensuring China's stable annual food production.
This year, a number of wheat-producing regions received more rainfall than usual, posing challenges to harvest operations, while cross-regional coordination of harvest equipment and other resources helped mitigate the impact.
In mid-May, central Hubei province was hit by persistent heavy rains, leaving a harvest window of only about three days. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs dispatched 13,000 combine harvesters from other regions to support the emergency effort.
Starting June 1, China officially entered its flood season. With the Huang-Huai-Hai region facing frequent showers and severe convection weather at the time, the ministry promptly issued early warnings and mobilized agricultural machinery service centers, regional emergency response centers, as well as emergency service teams to race against the rain and secure the harvest.
China's summer wheat harvest nears completion
