Speaking in a recent teleconference organised by Open Russia, the highly regarded economist Sergei Guriev tackles the question of the social impact of sanctions against Russia as a consequence to the war in Ukraine, arguing that even when sanctions are targeted against those specifically responsible for violating the law, the leadership still has the ability to “redistribute” the impact of the sanctions onto ordinary Russias through measures such as food import bans.

Watch the highlights from the teleconference below, with subtitles in English.