In a spectacular U-turn the inimitable Owen Matthews, who last year gloated that "sanctions are working", has by now deduced the obvious - that they have "utterly failed".

His conclusions that the #West has shot itself in the foot, helping #Russia to "de-offshore" & boost its economy while inflicting collective punishment against Russian communities across Europe, seem to have been lifted straight from Russian Embassy's Twitter account.

Thanks, Owen. But this doesn't mean you are coming off our "stop-list" any time soon.