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The EU and the US have imposed wave after wave of sanctions on Russia since the beginning of the Crimea crisis in 2014. However, the Kremlin is sticking to its course and Vladimir Putin's power has only grown.

The US is preparing fresh sanctions against Russian oligarchs and people close to President Vladimir Putin, according to reports on Thursday. Many such measures are already in place, with western governments targeting a whole range of individuals, companies, banks and other organizations in Russia.
However, the impact of Western sanctions on Russia's economy has so far been rather insignificant, says Sergei Movchan, Moscow-based head of economic programs with the Carnegie Foundation.
"I would say that the actual effect of the sanctions on the GDP has been negligible; a high estimate is at half a percent and it’s probably closer to zero,"he said.
According to Movchan, sanctions related to high-tech imports do pose a real problem, especially in Russia's vital weapons and oil industries. However, the impact of these restrictions would only hurt the economy two or three years in the future, when the companies are unable to reach their development goals.
While the Russian economy contracted in 2015 and 2016, it has shown growth in 2017, and most of the previous slump was caused by a drop in oil prices. Moreover, many Russians judge the country's relatively stable economic performance against the memories of the disastrous crisis in the 1990s, before Vladimir Putin took power.