Impactos jurídicos das sanções econômicas em multinacionais: em estudo de caso sobre empresas ocidentais na Rússia

Abstract

This study investigated the legal foundations of international economic sanctions and their influence on the operations of multinational corporations, from the perspectives of both Public International Law and International Economic Law. It concluded that over recent decades, sanctions have transitioned from merely traditional instruments of interstate coercion to mechanisms acting through interdependent global economic and financial networks. In this context, transnational corporations have become pivotal for the indirect enforcement of sanctions regimes, particularly with the rise of unilateral and extraterritorial measures imposed by major economic powers. The research focused on understanding how these sanctions impact corporate contractual autonomy, the protection of foreign investments, and the regulatory sovereignty of third-party States not directly involved in their imposition, with a particular emphasis on Brazil. To achieve this, a qualitative approach was adopted, utilizing bibliographical and documentary research alongside case studies on economic sanctions, corporate compliance, and international investment arbitration. The paper analyzed the historical evolution of international sanctions, their classifications, and legal bases, while also examining the impact of extraterritoriality on companies embedded in global trade and financing chains—especially regarding regulatory compliance, jurisdictional conflicts, and the protection of foreign investments. International arbitral precedents concerning indirect expropriation, fair and equitable treatment, and restrictive measures in times of economic and geopolitical crisis were also considered. As a result, the study found that the contemporary effectiveness of economic sanctions derives less from their formal legitimacy and more from their capacity to disrupt core structures of the global economy, most notably the international financial system. It concluded that reliance on strategic markets, US dollar transactions, and international payment mechanisms has heightened the vulnerability of peripheral States and corporations to foreign-imposed sanctions, revealing a persistent tension between state sovereignty, global economic governance, and legal certainty in international relations.