Zaluzhnyi: anti-Russian sanctions are losing effectiveness because Russia constantly adapts

Ukraine’s ambassador to London and former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi has said that Western sanctions against Russia become ineffective over time, as Moscow manages to adapt to them.

He made the remarks in an interview with Ukraine’s 24 Kanal.

When asked why Ukraine’s partners do not impose the full package of restrictions against Russia all at once, Zaluzhnyi warned that even a phased introduction of sanctions does not solve the problem of them becoming outdated.

“Over time, even this package of sanctions will become ineffective, because Russia constantly adapts, and we are losing time,” Zaluzhnyi said.

At the same time, the former military commander does not deny the benefit of sanctions pressure for Ukraine, but cautioned against inflated expectations. According to him, sanctions cannot be treated like a regular consumer product.

“Sanctions help Ukraine, of course. But they cannot be like the release of a new iPhone: package, package, package, package,” Zaluzhnyi noted.

Against the backdrop of these statements, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on August 17 the largest package of European sanctions against Russia since 2022. According to her, once the 22nd package is adopted, the number of Russian individuals and organizations under restrictions will increase by one third at once. Kallas plans to begin applying sanctions pressure under the new package in the autumn.

For his part, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev stated that sanctions against Russia are “off the charts in their number” — around thirty thousand restrictive measures have been imposed against the country in total. Medvedev also said that Russia is being “tested for resilience,” including from an economic standpoint. Vladimir Putin, in turn, declared that the West has set records for the futility of sanctions.