Logiques des sanctions de l'Union européenne contre la Russie au sujet de l'Ukraine

This analysis explores the rationale of the sanctions imposed on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022. Sanctions research identifies three distinct logics: a classical logic that aims to destabilise a government by harming its economy as a whole and encouraging mass mobilisation; a more selective logic aimed at encouraging the elites to withdraw their support for the rulers, while a third logic conceives of sanctions as tools aimed at domestic audiences and third countries. The analysis concludes that all these logics operate simultaneously in the case of ongoing sanctions regime against Russia. This departs from previous practice which claimed to be 'targeted', introducing a turning point in the European Union's sanctions policy.