Russia continues testing new weapons in Ukraine despite sanctions and pressure - Zelenskyy's team

As Podolyak explained, Russia believes that it has the right to continue testing new weapons because there is no proper response to this.

“For example, against a foreign contingent in a war, or an intercontinental strike against civilians, or systemic missile strikes against critical infrastructure. All of this, by the way, is prohibited by the rules of war. But Russia does not receive any response,” Podolyak said.

He pointed out the fact that despite all the restrictions, Russia continues to trade on global markets.

“Yes, Gazprombank has been closed, but this does not mean that Russia cannot go around and trade crude oil,” he said.

Sanctions against Russia

Sanctions against Russia, imposed over the war in Ukraine, have become one of the key instruments of international pressure. Western countries, including the EU, the US, the UK, Canada, and other allies, have imposed restrictions on the export of high-tech products, frozen the assets of Russian officials, oligarchs, and state-owned companies, and excluded some Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system. The purpose is to limit Russia's financial and technological resources needed to wage war.

The EU has imposed restrictions on imports of Russian oil and gas and set an oil price cap to reduce Moscow's profits. It has also introduced bans on access to foreign technology for exploring new fields. These steps are intended to weaken Russia's economy in the long run.

Despite the great losses, Russia is trying to circumvent the sanctions by using third countries to trade oil and purchase Western goods. In response, Western allies are tightening export controls and expanding sanctions lists.