Western sanctions have no effect on large proportion of Russians - economic expert

He shared his opinion with Espreso TV. 

"The situation in Russia is getting worse. Since it cannot be considered in a purely economic aspect, it must still be considered in a political dimension. Russia insists on the fact that Moscow takes money from the donor regions and redistributes it to the recipient regions. There are also regions that receive quite a lot of money from the Kremlin. We know very well that Ramzan Kadyrov receives tribute from Moscow", Pekar explained.

The expert believes that Western sanctions had the greatest impact on Russian elites.

"One way or another, when money becomes less, the ability of the Kremlin to take funds from the regions and transfer them to others is rapidly decreasing. The regional elites will begin to express their disagreement with this. Therefore, the Russian elites - deputies, officials, and security forces - are under the main impact of the sanctions. This is very important, as we understand that the bulk of the Russian population, more than 85%, does not feel the Western sanctions. They lived badly and are still living. Nothing has changed", he added.