CERS Visitor Seminar Assistant Professor Anna Anisimova

Welcome to the seminar titled “Measuring Russia’s Wartime Economy Under Sanctions and Counter-Sanctions” by Anna Anisimova, Assistant Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics. 

The seminar will take place on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, in G226f from 12:30 to 14:00. For more information, please find the abstract and bio below. 

Seminar Abstract 

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has faced unprecedented international sanctions while simultaneously implementing an extensive regime of domestic counter-sanctions. At the same time, authorities have restricted access to key macroeconomic statistics, complicating efforts to assess the true economic impact of the war. This seminar examines how economic warfare and data warfare intersect in shaping perceptions of Russia’s wartime economic performance. Drawing on recent SITE research, FREE Network policy briefs, and emerging academic evidence, the presentation evaluates what we can credibly infer about Russia’s growth dynamics and structural transformation under sanctions. The talk argues that Russia’s apparent resilience reflects war-driven fiscal expansion, expanding state control, and growing institutional opacity. 

The seminar concludes by discussing how researchers can move beyond increasingly opaque official statistics and develop alternative measurement strategies, including high-frequency transaction data, online price indices, mirror trade statistics, and logistics-based proxies. By integrating policy analysis with methodological innovation, the presentation highlights both what we know and what remains uncertain about the sustainability of Russia’s wartime economy. The seminar will be presented by Anna Anisimova, researcher at the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE), affiliated with the Stockholm School of Economics. More information about her research can be found via her FREE Network expert page, and the SanctionsRussia.org research platform. 

Bio 

Anna Anisimova obtained her PhD in Economics from Donetsk National University in 2010, with her doctoral thesis focused on Industrial Management. She then worked there as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Business Statistics and Economic Cybernetics. In June 2020, she joined SITE and currently holds the position of Researcher. Her main research interests are within gender economics, human capital development, and transition economics.