The economic sanctions imposed so far on certain leaders and on certain state-owned enterprises in Russia are about as finely targeted as economic sanctions pos

The economic sanctions imposed so far on certain leaders and on certain state-owned enterprises in Russia are about as finely targeted as economic sanctions possibly could be. Economic sanctions in general are meant to be a less violent alternative to military action. Putin has plainly organized an effort for Russian military units not in uniform to be operating in Ukraine in violation of Ukraine's national sovereignty, so Putin is already engaged in acts of war. Thus far, the response from the West has been intended to help the common people of Russia (and of Ukraine) avoid deeper involvement in war while still putting tough pressure on Putin to conform his foreign policy to international law. The deep economic problems Russia now faces could have happened to any Russian leader who pursued a similarly kleptocratic, state-enterprise oriented economic policy. If Russia had a more free and more diverse economy, with a genuinely free press and rule of law, the daily life of the common people would be more resistant to economic shocks caused by the drop in the world price of petroleum, which is the major source of revenue for the Russian government.