This is CBSI in the world. I'm John Bachel. The Russian economy under sanctions regime

in the second year of the war. What is the status? I welcome John Hardy, Deputy Director

of the Russia program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy, who with his colleague

Peter Durand, publishing a weighty document, Rubo Rumble, offensive and defensive measures

to defeat Russia in the economic domain in the second year of war. John, a very good

evening to you. Congratulations to you and Peter, a comprehensive analysis of the year

passed and going forward. Right now, what is your measure of the sanctions regime? Both

economic sanctions on the energy sector, etc., and financial sanctions. Are they regarded

as successful in Washington, in NATO? Good evening to you.

Well, thanks, John. It's great to be on the show. As you mentioned in the report,

we try to look holistically at the confrontation with Russia in the economic domain. That's

both offensive, meaning sanctions and export controls designed to better the Russian economy

and deprived its war machine of key resources. Also, on the defensive side, the measures

in the United States and the Western allies are taking to guard against what we call

a Russian-meline finance, meaning covert or illicit money flows designed to interfere in

Western democracies or evade sanctions or what have you. On the whole, I'd say, the West has made

pretty good progress over the last year. We've implemented some measures that we've never

done before against a major economy like Russia's. Probably the most impressive being

slashing. It's Russia's $600 billion war chest and half of the beginning of the invasion,

which really kneecapped Putin's plan to withstand sanctions. At the same time, Russia can still continue

to prosecute its war. So in the report, we identify various ways that the West could tighten,

increase its pressure campaign against Russia to really target its war machine,

...