Is the point not to make it very clear to the general public that what is happening is bad? Like, in the current scenario, it might not be very well known what

Is the point not to make it very clear to the general public that what is happening is bad? Like, in the current scenario, it might not be very well known what the truth is, so by enforcing sanctions it gets brought into the public eye - and even if you still believe what the government says, it must at least make you stop and wonder /why/ the rest of the world has suddenly stopped doing business with your country. At the very least it causes dissent in the populace, which is a very powerful tool