Restoring Russian Imports Opportunities

Ivan L. Lyubimov – Senior Researcher of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, PhD in Economics (Moscow, Russia). Е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In this work, the tools of the economic complexity theory are used to evaluate the possibilities of three mechanisms which are currently employed to soften sanction restrictions on Russian imports. These mechanisms include alternative imports, import substitution and parallel imports. The theory of economic complexity is more powerful when the first two mechanisms are evaluated and provides almost no guidance regarding parallel imports.

Key words: sanctions, alternative suppliers, import substitution, parallel imports.

JEL-codes: F17, F51, F52.