DISINFO: If the West wants to assist Russia and China, they should add more sanctions
SUMMARY
It should be understood that sanctions have benefited Russia and harmed Europe and the United States. If the West wants to help Russia and China and harm the United States, let them add more sanctions.
RESPONSE
This is an old and recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative stating that sanctions would benefit Russia while hurting the West, repurposed to serve in the context of Russia's unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
The EU and other countries around the world adopted several sanction packages against Russia due to its illegal aggression and occupation of Ukrainian territories. Not all trades restrictions are yet enforced as the energy sector needs longer transition periods, so it is too early to assess the full effect of the sanctions. However, it is incorrect to state that Russian economy would be barely affected or would even benefit from the sanctions. Otherwise, the Russian leadership would not feel the need to constantly demand the sanctions be removed.
It is also Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine that is hurting the global economy, and not sanctions against Russia. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destabilised global food markets and is driving food prices up due to increased cost of production, transport and freight insurance. Russia has also destroyed substantial food stocks, production, as well as processing and transport capacities in Ukraine.
A recent study from Yale University takes a detailed look into the effects sanctions are having on the Russian economy, concluding that "business retreats and sanctions are catastrophically crippling the Russian economy."
See also the assessment of EU HRVP Josep Borrell demonstrating that sanction policy is working and strongly impacts Russian economy.
See similar claims that Western sanctions are the cause of inflation, Western sanctions cause food crisis and price growth, sanctions against Russia worsen the economic crisis in the West, the EU lost more from sanctions than Russia, European sanctions against Russia do not work.