Will depleted funds put an end to Russias war in Ukraine

Leading Russian economist Sergei Guriev says Western sanctions are working but warned that the billions Putin still gets will be used to kill Ukrainians. Guriev, who fled Moscow in 2013, says the price cap on Russian oil appears to be working, meaning less money for the Kremlin to buy military technology from third countries like India, China and Turkey. But while Russian technocrats are working to keep the economy afloat, “they help Putin to continue destroying Russia’s future.” Asked about whether Putin has changed his long-term goals, Guriev, now a professor and provost at Sciences Po in Paris, says the president has always been corrupt: “He’s not an empire builder - he’s more of a palace builder.” Correction from April 13, 2023: In the interview Conflict Zone referred to Mr Guriev as a former Kremlin advisor. We would like to correct the record and state he was in fact a leading Russian economist, former head of the Moscow’s New Economic School and former chief economist at the EBRD (European Bank of Reconstruction and Development). We apologize for the error.