Podcast

Will Sanctions Go Nuclear?

Executive Director Alexandra Vacroux spoke with The Indicator from Planet Money about what a total ban from the SWIFT bank messaging system would mean for Russia’s economy.

As tensions rise along the Russian-Ukrainian border, the threat of economic sanctions looms large as the United States and its allies seek to deter a Russian invasion through nonmilitary means. 

What's in play right now is more extreme sanctions and the use of the so-called nuclear option, which would be cutting Russia off of the SWIFT messaging system.

Alexandra Vacroux

Vice President for Strategic Engagement, Kyiv School of Economics

Alexandra Vacroux is vice president for strategic engagement at the Kyiv School of Economics.