The West has been waging an aggressive economic war against Russia for a long time, claimed Sergei Naryshkin, the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). The question is, to what extent the West has been able to implement its plans to isolate and strategically defeat Russia.
In an interview with the RIA Nowosti news agency, the intelligence chief elaborated, “Even the most ardent lobbyists of the so-called sanctions policy, which in essence represent economic aggression against our country, admit that the Russian economy has adapted to the new conditions and is continuously developing.”
Of course, the West will continue to try to inflict damage on the Russian economy, Naryshkin emphasized in the Tuesday interview. At the same time, he made it clear, “Russia cannot be isolated, neither politically, nor informationally, nor economically. The countries of the Global South, the countries of the global majority, are aware of their interest in continuing and developing international trade, as well as maintaining trade relations with the Russian Federation.”
When asked about the future of Western sanctions, Naryshkin replied, “Nothing can be ruled out.” The economic pressure on Russia could either increase or be partially lifted, depending on the motivations of the Western governments, he said. “Either they will be driven by the irrationality of their behavior, based on Russophobia, or by sound human understanding and calculation.”
After Russia launched a military special operation in Ukraine, Western countries imposed thousands of sanctions on the country. As President Vladimir Putin emphasized, the policy of containment and weakening of Russia is a long-term strategy of the West, but the restrictions have dealt a severe blow to the global economy. In his view, the main goal of the US and its allies is to worsen the lives of millions of people worldwide.
However, Russia will successfully cope with the challenge posed by the economic pressure and voices in the West are increasingly loud in acknowledging the ineffectiveness of the anti-Russian restrictions. Yet, the West lacks the courage to admit the failure of its sanctions policy against Russia, Moscow said.