The current unprecedented intensity and breadth of Western sanctions against Russia raises concerns about their overall impact on the global economy and the possibility of a retaliatory response from Russia, Julia Friedlander, director of the Atlantic Council’s Economic Governance Initiative, told The Wall Street Journal.

“I am concerned about the consequences of the destruction of the Russian economy for global monetary and macroeconomic stability,” the expert said.

The sanctions against Russia include a ban imposed by the U.S. and the EU on debt trading by the Russian government and some of its largest banks, a ban on the sale of key technology to Russia, and the disconnection of its largest banks from the international banking messaging service SWIFT while retaining a provision for energy-related transactions.

The latest in a string of sanctions was a ban imposed on certain transactions with Russia’s central bank, which is designed to weaken the central bank’s ability to defend the Russian ruble, which has fallen sharply since the start of the military operation in Ukraine. Europe has also banned Russian private and commercial airlines from flying in Russian airspace.

Friedlander sees Russia’s sanctions regime as something similar to the Iranian scenario and rates the sanctions as “10 out of 10 possible,” indicating that they are unprecedented.

But in any case, there are risks here as well – the West fears that Russia, in turn, will also escalate relations by halting supplies of energy, wheat and other goods to Europe.

The expert said she supports very strict sanctions, but believes that, as in any game, there must be an endgame. And if instead “we have a poor, ruined Russian economy and a ruined Ukraine, what will we get out of all this?” she said.