Home  >  What in the World  >  Are sanctions on Russia actually hurting its economy?
What in the World
Are sanctions on Russia actually hurting its economy?
What in the World
Mar 27, 2024

More than two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have ramped up their attempts to stifle Russia’s economy using sanctions. These are economic penalties imposed by one country on another to stop them acting aggressively or breaking international law. There are now around 16,500 sanctions against Russia that target sectors from energy to finance to aviation. However, Russia’s economy has proven resilient. Vitaly Shevchenko, Russia editor at BBC Monitoring, explains the ways Moscow has managed to evade sanctions. He also assesses whether sanctions can work long-term. Plus, Dr Thomas Withington, an expert on electronic warfare, discusses how Russia uses ‘ghost ships’ to trade sanctioned goods without being caught.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

More Episodes
Feb 5, 2025
USAID: Can the world live without it?

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Rosanna La Falce


13min 08sec




Are sanctions on Russia actually hurting its economy?

--:--
--:--