A structural examination of sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation

Abstract

Introduction. After 2022, the packages of restrictive measures against the Russian Federation took on a qualitatively different character: discrete sanctions actions gave way to the formation of a holistic, layered, and internally consistent system of coercion. At the current stage of economic confrontation, such an architecture requires not so much an inventory of specific prohibitions as an analysis of their structural coherence, mechanisms of mutual reinforcement, and cumulative effects. The relevance of a structural approach stems from the need to understand not only immediate restrictions but also long-term strategic challenges for the country's economic security and development model.Purpose. To conduct a comprehensive analysis of sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation by identifying interconnections between its key components and assessing their evolution from 2014 to 2025, with the aim of revealing the distinctive features of the architecture of sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation.Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the research was qualitative document analysis, aimed at structuring and systematizing the corpus of sanctions measures. Methods such as secondary data analysis, structural-functional analysis, and comparative analysis were used to process the data.Results. The study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the architecture of sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation from 2014 to 2025. The structural analysis method makes it possible to decompose a unified regime of restrictions into key interrelated blocks: financial, trade-technological, energy, and personal. The focus is on measures introduced by the countries of the «core» of the Western coalition – the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Switzerland – whose decisions have an extraterritorial effect and form the framework of global restrictions.Conclusions. The structural logic of Western sanctions (especially after 2022) is aimed not at a shortterm policy change, but at a long-term weakening of Russia's technological, financial and logistical independence. The answer to these challenges can only be a comprehensive import substitution strategy, restructuring of financial flows and deep integration with new trading partners, which requires a separate forecasting and management study.