WDET Radio: How effective have economic sanctions against Russia been?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, one of the first pleas from President Vladimir Zelenskyy to President Joe Biden was for the West to “close the skies” over his country by creating a “no-fly zone” enforced by NATO, Europe and the U.S. Biden refused Zelenskyy’s request, noting the risk of American and Russian forces interacting could create a heightened chance of direct conflict, and ultimately war with Russia.

Instead, a tool the U.S. and other western nations opted to use even before the 2022 invasion began was economic sanctions.

But what exactly are economic sanctions and how effective have they been in this conflict Read and listen here.

The Kremlin

A.Savin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons