Keywords
legal influence
Russian-Ukrainian war
sanctions policy
shadow market
oil embargo
How to Cite
Abstract
The article examines the role of international sanctions as a means of legal influence in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The relevance of the study is stipulated by the need to assess the effectiveness of sanctions as an instrument of pressure on the aggressor state, and their role in protecting international law and maintaining global security. The purpose of the article is to identify the shortcomings of international sanctions and to develop recommendations for improving their effectiveness in countering Russian aggression. To achieve this goal, the study solved a number of tasks: generalized scientific approaches to the definition of “sanctions”; analyzed the types of sanctions and their objectives; studied the impact of sanctions on Russia’s economic and military potential; identified key gaps in sanctions policy; proposed ways to improve sanctions policy and increase the effectiveness of international sanctions in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The study found that international sanctions are an effective tool for limiting the economic and military potential of the aggressor, but today their effectiveness is reduced by a number of problems, including: circumvention of sanctions through the shadow market and intermediaries, insufficient global support for sanctions, preservation of Russia’s economic relations with individual countries, and development of domestic production in Russia to replace critical components. Overcoming these problems requires the following measures: strengthening international control over the circulation of energy resources and dual-use goods, improving mechanisms for monitoring and blocking the circumvention of sanctions through intermediaries, expanding sanctions policy to new countries and industries, involving more partners in coordinating sanctions measures, and actively investing in alternative energy sources to reduce dependence on Russian resources. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using the results obtained by government agencies, international organizations and experts to improve the sanctions policy, increase pressure on the aggressor and maintain international law and order.
References
1. Abi-Saab, G. (2001). The concept of sanction in international law. In V. Gowlland-Debbas (Ed.), United Nations Sanctions and International Law (pp. 29–41). Leiden: Brill | Nijhoff.
2. Bedratenko, O. (2024). Chomu zakhidni chypy i dosi hoduiut rosiisku voiennu mashynu? [Why Western chips still feed the Russian war machine?]. Radio Svoboda. https://surl.li/tvylrb (in Ukrainian)
3. Dmytriv, M. (2024). 1000 dniv sanktsii: Chomu Rosiia y dosi zarobliaie miliardy na viinu [1000 days of sanctions: Why Russia still earns billions for the war]. Ukrinform. https://surl.li/iwayeu (in Ukrainian)
4. Ekonomichna pravda. (2022). Naftove embargо proty Rosii: Shcho ukhvalyly krainy YES i yak tse vplyne na ekonomiku ahresora [Oil embargo against Russia: What EU countries have adopted and how it will affect the aggressor’s economy]. https://epravda.com.ua/publications/2022/05/315/687653/ (in Ukrainian)
5. Finap. (2023). Roli sanktsii u suchasnomu sviti: Mizh instrumentom tysku ta heopolitychnoiu stratehiiu [The role of sanctions in the modern world: Between an instrument of pressure and geopolitical strategy]. https://surl.li/krskqt (in Ukrainian)
6. Havrylova, O. (2023). Bloh № 1 – vydy sanktsii, yaki zastosovuiutsia pid chas viiny. Dosvid Ukrainy [Blog № 1 – Types of sanctions used during the war: Experience of Ukraine]. VB Partners. https://surl.li/rlmuji (in Ukrainian)
7. Ivanova, K. (2024). Yaki krainy dopomahaiut Rosii obkhodyty sanktsii: Doslidzhennia The Economist [Which countries help Russia circumvent sanctions: Study by The Economist]. Glavkom. https://surl.li/sjfphh (in Ukrainian)
8. Kharytonov, Ye. O., & Biloshkurskyi, M. M. (2024). Problemni pytannia konvalidatsii nediisnykh pravochyniv, uchynenykh na tymchasovo okupovanykh terytoriiakh ta “sirii zoni” [Problematic issues of invalid transactions convalidation made in the temporarily occupied territories and ‘grey zone’]. Journal of Civil Studies, (53), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.32782/chc.v053.2024.1 (in Ukrainian)
9. Melnyk, V. (2024). Tinovyi flot RF naroshchuiie potuzhnist, popry sanktsii Zakhodu: Spysok suden [The shadow fleet of the Russian Federation is increasing capacity despite Western sanctions: List of vessels]. Biznes Cenzor. https://surl.li/safxco (in Ukrainian)
10. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. (2025). Sanktsii proty RF [Sanctions against the Russian Federation]. https://mfa.gov.ua/protidiya-agresiyi-rf/sankciyi-proti-rf (in Ukrainian)
11. Rada of National Security and Defense of Ukraine. (2025). Derzhavnyi reiestr sanktsii [State register of sanctions]. https://drs.nsdc.gov.ua/ (in Ukrainian)
12. Radio Svoboda. (2024). Zamorozheni aktyvy rosiiskoho Tsentrobanku: Staly vidomi podalshi kroky YES [Frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank: Further steps of the EU became known]. https://surl.li/zsxbim (in Ukrainian)
13. Sluzhba zovnishnoi rozvidky Ukrainy. (2025). Ukraina i svit proty rosiiskoi ahresii. Sanktsii v dii [Ukraine and the world against Russian aggression. Sanctions in action]. https://surl.li/khevll (in Ukrainian)
14. Syrotenko, Y. V. (2020). Poniattia ta vydy mizhnarodno-pravovykh sanktsii [Concept and types of international law sanctions]. In 75-a richnytsia OON – suchasnyi stan ta rozvytok mizhnarodnoho prava: zbirnyk materialiv Vseukrainskoi naukovoi student. konferentsii (pp. 65–68). Odesa: Helvetyka. (in Ukrainian)
15. Vasylenko, V. A. (1982). Mizhnarodno-pravovi sanktsii [International law sanctions]. Kyiv: Vyshcha shkola. (in Ukrainian)
16. Vedkal, V. A., & Ehamaliiev, E. A. (2021). Teoretychni ta praktychni aspekty sanktsii u mizhnarodnomu pravi [Theoretical and practical aspects of sanctions in international law]. Yurydychnyi naukovyi elektronnyi zhurnal, (10), 575–577. https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0374/2021-10/149 (in Ukrainian)
17. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. (2024). Pro sanktsii: Zakon Ukrainy vid 14 serpnia 2014 roku № 1644-VII [On sanctions: Law of Ukraine No. 1644-VII]. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1644-18#Text (in Ukrainian)
18. Zavadska, I. (2023). Rozuminnia, shcho take sanktsii, yaki vydy sanktsii buvaiut, yakyi mekhanizm ta naslidky yikh zastosuvannia [Understanding sanctions, their types, mechanisms, and consequences]. Asotsiatsiia ukrainskykh bankiv. https://surl.li/bzhznu (in Ukrainian)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Nataliia Karpinska