Since February 25, 2022, when Russia’s attacks on Ukraine be-gan, Western countries, especially the European Union (EU), have implemented the ninth sanctions package against Russia. Each sanction package aimed to stop Russia’s attacks by targeting different sectors and individuals each time. But instead of back-ing down, Putin intensified the attack, which caused the US to announce sanctions targeting the energy sector. In retaliation for these sanctions, Russia has announced that it will export natural gas to Europe in rubles [Euractive.com, 2022]. This was seen as a way for Russia to support its unstable currency and at the same time retaliate against its European neighbors against Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
