From the worldwide slowdown and the U.S.-China trade war to growing uncertainty over Brexit and a seven-month low for oil prices, the global economy is contending with its fair share of challenges. It's all of great concern to Russia, which is no stranger to economic worries, particularly since 2014 when the country faced twin economic shocks -- a crash in global energy prices and the West's implementation of sanctions following Moscow's intervention in Ukraine. The developments initially drove Russia into recession, as its gross domestic product contracted by more than 2.5 percent in 2015 before beginning a slow recovery in 2016. But since that time, U.S. sanctions have gradually expanded to cover everything from Ukraine to Russian political meddling in U.S. elections to Russian arms proliferation, affecting Russia's energy industry and finances, as well as hundreds of officials and oligarchs. In response, Moscow has worked diligently to blunt the effect of...