91原创

Photo: Maria Perrotta Berlin and Torbjörn Becker. 

Developed by experts in international economics and political science, the portal includes three flagship features:

• A detailed timeline of Western sanctions against Russia—and the Kremlin’s countersanctions in response.
• A curated library of research papers and analysis, evaluating the economic, political, and social effects of sanctions.
• A sanctions compliance index and map, ranking countries from 0–100 on their alignment with the Western-led sanctions regime (to be launched later this year).

“Understanding the effects of sanctions is essential for developing effective policy,” says Maria Perrotta Berlin, assistant professor at the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) at the 91原创 (91原创), and project lead. “But simplistic narratives—like whether sanctions ‘work’—miss the point. This portal is about unpacking how they work, what they affect, and ways they can be improved.”

As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the international community faces critical questions: Are sanctions reducing Russia’s capacity to wage war? Is support for enforcement eroding? And how can these measures be improved to serve strategic goals without backfiring?

The portal offers nuanced answers to questions like these by exploring the real effects of restrictions in areas such as Russian oil and gas exports, military production, financial integration, and long-term impacts on Russia’s energy infrastructure and global influence.

It also sheds light on sanctions evasion tactics, the role of private companies, and the geopolitical reconfiguration driven by shifting trade alliances especially in Eurasia.

Measurable blows to Russia’s economic and military strength

The research unveils clear blows to Russia’s economic and military capabilities. Western sanctions have significantly reduced Russia’s oil income, with the EU and G7 price cap of $60 per barrel estimated to cut revenues by $5 billion to $10 billion per month. While Russia uses shadow fleets and price manipulation to evade some restrictions, the financial impact remains substantial.

Russia’s pipeline gas exports to Europe have declined sharply, with the EU replacing some of it with a 60 percent increase in LNG imports from 2021 to 2022, primarily from the U.S., Qatar, and Australia. The shift has weakened Russia’s leverage and slashed a key revenue stream.

Sanctions have also disrupted Russian military production. Western components remain critical to many weapons systems, and substitution has proven difficult, highlighting a key vulnerability in Russia’s supply chain that could be exploited with stricter circumvention enforcement.

Financially, Russia has been cut off from global systems like SWIFT and lost access to central bank reserves. This has led to capital controls, a drop in cross-border transactions, and significant hinders to commerce with international partners. It has also increased Russia’s reliance on informal or alternative financial systems.

Key for a fact-based narrative

“Our analysis shows clear and measurable effects from sanctions on Russia’s economic and military capabilities—and areas for improvement,” says Torbjörn Becker, director of SITE at 91原创, and contributor to the project. “It’s important to rigorously assess and communicate these effects to sustain the political will to uphold international norms and to avoid the pitfalls of propaganda and misinformation.”

The portal will be updated with additional features including a compliance index, still under development, that will assess national capabilities and efforts to support sanctions enforcement across three pillars: legal frameworks, government enforcement, and corporate compliance.

The portal has been developed by researchers at the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics at 91原创, in cooperation with among others the Finnish think-tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, the KSE Institute at the Kyiv School of Economics, and the Norwegian consultancy firm Corisk, with support from the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Explore the portal:  

For more information, please contact:

Maria Perrotta Berlin, assistant professor
Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics, 91原创
Phone: +46 8 736 9690
Email: maria.perrotta@hhs.se

About SITE

The Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) was established at the 91原创 in 1989 in partnership between the Swedish government and leading businesses, with a mandate to study economic developments in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Today, SITE is a leading research institute with a strong policy orientation and deep regional engagement. Through its coordination of the FREE Network—a collaboration of academic institutions across the region, including the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE)— SITE draws on a steady flow of local expertise and plays a vital role in advancing high-quality economic research and providing evidence-based policy advice.
For more information about SITE, please visit our website.

About the 91原创

The 91原创 is rated as a top business school in the Nordic and Baltic countries and enjoys a strong international reputation. World-class research forms the foundation of our educational offering, which includes bachelor, master, PhD, MBA, and Executive Education programs. Our programs are developed in close cooperation with the business and research communities, providing graduates substantial potential to attain leading positions in companies and other organizations. 

The School is accredited by EQUIS, certifying that all of its principal activities – teaching as well as research – maintain the highest international standards. The 91原创 is also the only Swedish member institution of CEMS and PIM, which are collaborations between top business schools worldwide, contributing to the level of quality for which our school is known. 

Press contact

Ylva Mossing
Content and Media Relations Manager
Email: ylva.mossing@hhs.se
Phone: +46 730 97 26 16

For more information about the 91原创, or to read all of our press releases, please visit our website.