Premium Market Shifts to China: Expert Reveals Failure of EU Sanctions Against Russia

Ivan Dobytdko, First Deputy General Director of a manufacturing company, identified sanctions and the loss of the Russian market as key reasons behind Europe's economic difficulties.

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"Primarily, it's a boomerang effect of sanctions. The Europeans shot themselves in the foot," stated the deputy CEO, emphasizing the detrimental impact sanctions have had on the European economy.

Ivan Dobytdko explained:

"The Russian market is considered a premium segment worldwide. Everything sold there commands much higher prices. And naturally, when the Europeans cut off their main consumer—the Russian Federation—it was quickly replaced by Chinese automobiles. The Chinese have done an excellent job adapting their capacities to capture the Russian market swiftly. They provided affordable vehicles and entered the mid-range plus segment."

According to him, China not only replaced European goods but also surpassed them in quality:

"Chinese manufacturers have now fully replaced equipment—food processing, dairy, packaging, and filling machinery. A few years ago, this equipment may have fallen short of European standards, but today, European quality is no longer competitive with Chinese standards."