This policy paper examines the way the Russian economy sustains one of its objectives – to serve as a material base for pursuing Russia’s national strategic goals. While briefly presenting the context of the specific time-frames when the macroeconomic model of the Russian Federation was supposed to be renewed and the main goals established by the Economic Strategy, attention is given to the impact of the developments in 2014 – the military intervention in Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea followed by sanctions against the Russian Federation. In the attempt to understand the impact of the Western sanction on Russian behaviour, a need for understanding the goal, measuring the success and efficiency of sanctions is highlighted. Moreover, the role of the coercive diplomatic measures as tools of foreign policy is emphasized.
