Putin Calls for Sanctions Against Countries That Imposed Sanctions Against Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to fight economic fire with economic fire after the United States and the European Union brought sanctions against his country last week, and as of Wednesday, his call to action was heeded in the form of sanctions against those same nations.

Putin’s decree specifies that imports into the Russian Federation “of certain types of agricultural produce, raw materials and food” from countries participating in the sanctions against Russia “are banned or restricted.”

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Putin’s sanctions are scheduled to hold for a year once they go into effect. The BBC reported Wednesday that government departments are on the hook to specify which products will be banned:

The decree cites Russian “national interests” as grounds for the punitive measures.

The list of goods being affected should be ready by Thursday, according to the Russian business daily Vedomosti. Wine and baby food will not be affected, it added.

Although experts have not always found sanctions to be effective in creating the desired result on a state level, not just bringing hardship on civilians, here’s at least one analyst who thinks the U.S. and E.U.’s tag-team measures against Russia might just work.

–Posted by Kasia Anderson