Russia has the right to part ways with WTO or to stop abiding by its rules. That's the conclusion of the expert group of the Department of Political Economy at the G.V. Plekhanov Russian Economic University. USA and the EU have grossly violated WTO rules by launching the "war of sanctions" against Russia.
WTO membership has cost Russia dearly. It weakened the country's economy on the eve of the second wave of crisis. WTO membership is especially harmful under the conditions of a "sanctions war." "It's pointless to attempt to have the US or other northern Eurozone members, who are the masters of that organization, excluded from it, but a refusal to abide by WTO rules is a timely and necessary step for our country," says the Political Economy Department Chair Ruslan Dzarasov. In his view, the US is placing impossible conditions on Russia to have the sanctions lifted, such as the withdrawal from Crimea, or the implementation of Minsk Agreements which are dependent only on Kiev and Washington. Therefore the Russian Federation is within its rights to propose that WTO members refuse to abide by the WTO rules in response by its violations by the US and the EU.
In spite of US encouragement, the EU held back from introducing new sanctions against Russia in February. Angela Merkel transitioned from threats aimed at Russia in February to calls to preserve the sanctiosn in March. However, German representatives and Brussels representatives are still looking to consolidate the EU opinion to adopt a new packet of sanctions against Russia, which the US is also seeking. The fact that sanctions contradict WTO principles is being ignored, which is something that Vladimir Putin addressed already in November 2014. Retaliatory sanctions by Russia had a limited character and did not place its membership in the WTO on the agenda. However, the likely escalation of the "war of sanctions" in the second half of 2015 may change the situation. Remaining in the WTO will become pointless even for its supporters within the Russian Federation.
J.Hawk's Comment: Dzarasov is correct in arguing WTO is harmful to Russia in the sense that its tariff regulations prevent Russia from rebuilding its manufacturing base. Being in the WTO makes sense if Russia is happy to limit itself to being a supplier of natural resources to the rest of the global economy. That would be the niche Russia would be limited to if it relied on the "invisible hand of the market", in keeping with the neoliberal economic dogma that is still dominant in the West and which has its adherents in Russia. However, the sanctions have had the paradoxical effect of weakening the neoliberal faction in Russia, and have accelerated the adoption of an import substitution strategy aimed at rejuvenating Russia's domestic manufacturing. Exiting the WTO would only be a logical step in this process. It would also be a major blow to any country or corporation which is counting on the Russian market, unless their manufacturing operations are actually located in Russia.