EU: sanctions will not limit Russia’s war effort

US and Western sanctions imposed on Russia are unprecedented in scale and scope, but their impact will not limit Russia’s ability to wage war against Ukraine in 2023. So says a report by the European Union’s Parliamentary Research Service.

The report’s authors note that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year, EU countries swiftly adopted unprecedentedly tough sanctions, in close cooperation with partners including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Japan.

‘The rapid succession of ten packages of EU sanctions adopted since then, in what has already been labelled a “sanctions revolution”, have resulted in an unparalleled set of measures targeting the key sectors of the Russian economy and the political elites,’ the report added.

‘However, most experts warn that the impact of sanctions will not be severe enough to limit Russia’s ability to wage war against Ukraine in 2023,’ it concluded.

The report includes a timeline and overview of Russia sanctions adopted by the EU since 2014, assessment of the oil cap and oil embargo imposed on Russian energy sales and explores the effectiveness of the sanctions as well as their economic impact.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/739366/EPRS_BRI(2023)739366_EN.pdf