This chapter outlines the structure and argument of the book. Three main research questions are addressed. First, what impact did Western sanctions have on political economy in Russia in the three-year period after they were put in place? It is argued that while sanctions caused some initial disruption, the impact on targeted sectors quickly subsided. Second, what was the strategic response of the Russian authorities to sanctions, and how did this mediate their impact? It is argued that the Russian authorities were able to utilize a range of tools and resources – many of which were readily available due to the specific characteristics of Russia’s system of political economy – to cushion the targeted sectors from the worst effects of sanctions. Third, in what way did sanctions and the Russian strategic response to sanctions reshape both the structure of Russia’s domestic political economy and its place in the wider global economy? It is argued that sanctions and the Russian response resulted in a clear shift towards greater reliance on domestic resources – or Russification – and toward a more pluridirectional foreign economic policy that emphasizes closer relations with non-Western countries.