Sanctions Against Russia To Develop For At Least 6 Years

Sanction Policies against Russia will last for at least 6 years by the Western states the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) think tank said in a report on Wednesday.

“We should expect the sanctions against Russia to develop for at least the next six years.

“The sender countries will target the most vulnerable parts of the Russian economy, society and political system.

“Level of integration of the Russian elites, intellectual and business communities, and major social groups with global institutions and processes will suffer most due to the sanctions.

“Moreover, instability in the economy and social area, amid continuing inequality as a result of these anti-Russia sanctions may lead to public protests in the country,’’ the think tank explained.

The think tank, however, called for preserving and strengthening Russia’s ties with other nations and eliminating the country’s social and economic vulnerabilities caused by the sanctions.

The RIAC added such policies would give Russian diplomats the room to maneuver in their contacts with the West.

“The main tactical objective today, is to prevent or limit as much as possible the process of ‘escalating sanctions.

RIAC said it was also to ‘’create conditions in which the sanctions do not produce the desired political results for the sender countries.’’

The U.S., EU member states and a number of other Western nations initially introduced their sanctions against Russia in 2014.

They cited Moscow’s alleged involvement in the military conflict in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and Crimea’s reunification with Russia as a result of a referendum for their action.
However, Russia has denied having a role in the conf

lict, saying that the Crimean referendum had been held in line with international law.

Moreover, Moscow imposed food embargo on products from the states which had targeted it with restrictions.
However, the classification of Western anti-Russia sanctions has significantly expanded since then.

Most recently, the U.S. imposed sanctions on 38 Russian individuals and entities, including major private and state-owned organisations.