Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
Paul Goble: Western sanctions hurt Russia but saved Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin toasts with ambassadors in the Alexander Hall after a ceremony of presentation of credentials by foreign ambassadors in the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on Nov. 19.
No one can deny that Western sanctions and the declining price of oil have had a negative impact on Russia, but few recognize the other side of the coin: Western sanctions saved Vladimir Putin by allowing him the opportunity to shift blame for what has gone wrong in Russia away from himself onto the West.
