Sanctions against Russian companies and individuals have become a common tool for Western governments to exert pressure on the country’s domestic and foreign policy. However, a newstudy published in Russia’s main business daily Kommersant finds that sanctions targeted against executives – as opposed to oligarchs or politicians – may have unintended and long-term negative consequences on good corporate governance in Russia. According to the study, which analysed the contacts between state officials and top executives from major Russian companies, the actual influence of business leaders on poli…