Are well-off enough to be able to take in the price increase without seeing their quality of life impacted

How much of this is perception vs facts, though? Most/all EU countries implemented some kind of subsidy or price capping to protect its more vulnerable population.

Wanted to inflict economic hardship on Russian citizens

Seems improbable, considering that one thing has nothing to do with the other. On the subject of decoupling, Russia is the only one to blame, for losing its bet that the EU would back-off under the threat of energy scarcity during winter. It was Putin’s plan, and it was miscalculated to say the least. On the topic of hardship of the Russian population, believe it or not, there is a large Russian diaspora in Europe, and people are generally quite sympathetic and supportive with the normal people. Also, the hardship is not the result of energy decoupling but that of the sanctions, and yep, it sucks to be living under a tyrant’s rule in a late-stage oligarchy, and even more so when the whole world is trying to find peaceful means to reduce its warmongering potential.

You can categorize me with the humanitarians. And I already know where to categorize you.

I don’t dare pretending to know you, which may be the higher humanitarian ground in this discussion, believe it or not.