Sanctions bark worse than their bite

Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy, written by Alexandra Prokopenko and Alexander Kolyandr and brought to you by The Bell. This week we look at a possible escalation of the Western sanctions war against Russia. We also look at the Central Bank’s claim that inflation has hit its target level.

Trump threats and new EU restrictions raise stakes in sanctions war

Western countries are preparing for yet another sanctions assault on Russia. After several weeks of resistance, Slovakia has finally agreed to support an 18th round of European Union sanctions on Russia. At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening more draconian restrictions if Russia does not halt fighting in Ukraine.