The War in Ukraine: Avalanche of Western Sanctions and Russia’s Reaction

This chapter illustrates the substantial differences between Western sanctions imposed on Russia in 2022 and those from 2014 to 2021 concerning their objectives, scale, and impact. These new sanctions were designed to isolate Russia from the global economy and disrupt Moscow’s ability to access capital, materials, technology, and support for its ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with the hope that this suffering might lead to internal instability and eventually result in a change of government. By the end of the first year of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the sanctions turned into an avalanche that impacted major industries and sectors of the Russian economy. Borozna and Kochtcheeva also provide insights into the perspectives of Russian decision-makers, policy experts, and academics. They analyze Russia’s response to the sanctions, which involved adapting mechanisms and initiating plans for a new phase of economic development that puts more emphasis on sovereignty and fostering strategic partnerships with non-Western centers of power.