Anti-Russian Sanctions: Damage to the Countries that Declared Them

Abstract

Many states, pursuing their own political, economic, financial and ideological goals, have used all sorts of non-military methods and means of coercion of other states, international unions and organisations, and economic entities to perform actions that are desirable for states declared such sanctions. Such methods and means include various restrictions, prohibitions, blockades and unjustified tariffs. When asked about the consequences of sanctions imposed on someone, they usually refer to their negative impact on those to whom they are applied. However, the undesirable consequences of sanctions are also felt by those who apply them, as well as by other members of the world community that are not involved in such measures. That is why the author of this paper tried to estimate the losses which bear the states that declared anti-Russian sanctions. It is also essential because such sanctioning countries usually adhere to the principle “don’t hurt yourself”. So, the measures they take should not cause damage to their initiators (state, companies, corporations, etc.), especially irreparable damage. The author presented in this paper some results of the assessment of sanctioning countries’ losses incurred as a result of the reduction of their exports to Russia and imports from the Russian Federation. As a statistical basis for the calculations, the author used the data of the World Trade Organization for 2012–2017. The author has shown that the primary damage from the implementation of anti-Russian sanctions in the sphere of foreign trade in 2014–2017 was incurred not by their initiators, but by the countries that joined them. First of all, this applies to those countries that have developed more significant foreign trade relations with the Russian Federation, that is, who is more dependent on the volume of Russian exports and imports.