ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) — The introduction of Western sanctions marked an even more difficult time for Russia than the period before the Soviet Union's fall, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said Friday.
"We survived a point in January, February and March 2015 that was more difficult for the economy than right before the fall of the Soviet Union," Shuvalov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
In 2014, Moscow and Brussels split due to disagreements over the crisis in Ukraine. After the European Union imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia, Moscow stroke back banning food export from the countries which supported anti-Russia policy.
