The SVR pointed to attempts by a number of experts to convince the EC of the harmfulness of sanctions against the Russian Federation.

According to the data received by the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of the Russian Federation, European experts are persistently trying to convince the European Commission (EC) of the harmfulness for the European Union itself of further tightening restrictive measures against the Russian economy. This was announced on June 30 by the SVR press office.

"The European bureaucrats are accused, in particular, of grossly miscalculating when they decided to disconnect most Russian banks from the international interbank system for transmitting financial information and making SWIFT payments," the article says.

It is noted that financial institutions of the Russian Federation have built other schemes of cooperation with foreign partners. At the same time, the restrictions imposed by the EU have undermined the confidence of the states of the Global South in the SWIFT system.

"Now it has become obvious to all developing countries that SWIFT is being used as an instrument of political pressure from the West. The result was the rapid development of similar payment systems in China, Russia, India, and Saudi Arabia, with the possibility of foreign partners joining them," the department added.

It is emphasized that the negative consequences for Western countries could have been avoided if the EC had been interested in the opinion of experts. However, the SVR summarizes that European officials, moving in their openly Russophobic direction, "are sawing at the branch they are sitting on."

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Earlier that day, he extended sanctions against Russia for six months. It was noted that they include restrictions on trade, finance, energy, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport and luxury goods.

On June 29, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, stated that it was impossible to push the Russian Federation to negotiate through pressure and force. According to him, the more serious the anti-Russian sanctions are, the greater the "blowback" from a gun.