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8 J. Pol. & L. 1 (2015)
Impact of Western Sanctions on Russia in the Ukraine Crisis

handle is hein.journals/jpola8 and id is 166 raw text is: Journal of Politics and Law; Vol. 8, No. 2; 2015 ISSN 1913-9047 E-ISSN 1913-9055 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education Impact of Western Sanctions on Russia in the Ukraine Crisis Wan Wang1,2 1 School of Government, Beijing Normal University, China 2 School of International Relations, Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia Correspondence: Wan Wang, School of Government, Beijing Normal University, China. E-mail: wwhmj 1988@gmail.com Received: February 17, 2015 Accepted: February 27, 2015 Online Published: March 26, 2015 doi: 10.5539/jpl.v8n2p 1 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/jpl.v8n2p 1 Abstract The year 2014 is an important and challenging year for Russia. The Ukraine crisis and Russia's Crimea annexation have pushed Russo-Western relations to near the freezing point. International sanctions against Russia led by the US and Europe have hindered the development of Russian economy. Despite facing these sanctions, domestically, Russia is politically stable, and its population is united. Diplomatically, Russia has accomplished great progress and forged strong relations with Asian countries, and its relationship with the East has continued to deepen. In experiencing Western hostility but Eastern friendliness, Russia mitigates the damage caused by the sanctions. Keywords: western sanctions, Russia, Ukraine crisis, impact 1. Introduction Throughout history and in the present day, Ukraine is of special and important significance to Russia. Favorably positioned between Russia and the West, Ukraine is in a unique strategic position. Ukraine is divided by the Dnieper River serving as the boundary between the pro-Russian eastern parts and the pro-European western parts. The current internal division has made Ukraine the focal point of the conflicts between Russia and the US-Europe. To maintain a strategy of geopolitical pressure on Russia, the US and the EU need to drag Ukraine into their bloc. Russia, in turn, must try its best to keep Ukraine to cushion the strategic pressure from the EU and NATO so that Russia will not lose its counterbalancing of the NATO frontier. The Ukraine crisis in 2013 occurred precisely on this very background, evolving from a domestic coup to a global impactful international event. The Ukraine crisis has become a hot topic of concern over the past year in the field of international relations. The Ukraine crisis triggered Russia's annexation of Crimea, worsened East-West relations and caused multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia by the West, which have had a significant impact on Russia. In this article, we analyse the impact of western sanctions in Ukraine crisis on Russia using literature, official data and opinion polls. First, the Ukraine crisis and the events of Russia's annexation of Crimea are reviewed. Then, the sanctions against Russia imposed by the West and Russia's anti-sanction measures are examined. Last, the impact of the sanctions on Russia's domestic and diplomatic strategies is analysed. 2. Ukraine Crisis and Russia's Annexation of Crimea The crisis began on November 21, 2013, when Viktor Yanukovych, then President of Ukraine, suspended the signing of association agreement with EU to vie for Russian favor, which aroused opposition protests in Independence Square in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. After the Ukrainian government ordered the expulsion of the protesters, the demonstrations escalated sharply and spread to other cities in Ukraine, directly pointing at Yanukovych and asking him to step down. On February 21, 2014, under the mediation of representatives from the EU and Russia, Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leaders signed the Ukraine crisis mediation agreement. However, the opposition violated the agreement on the signing day and seized power by force. Yanukovych fled to Kharkov, and the next day, Ukraine's parliament appointed Turchinov, the speaker of the parliament, as the acting president (Liu Fenghua, 2014). The coup that occurred in Kiev sparked unrest elsewhere in Ukraine. In areas that are inhabited by ethnic Russians, especially in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea where separatists dominate the population, protests

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