MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan have gained from sanctions against Russia, while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan reaped the most sustained effect, Director of the Institute for Global Market Studies Alexey Bobrovsky said in an interview with TASS.

"For some post-Soviet countries, the sanctions imposed against Russia served as a strong impetus for economic growth. Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan felt it immediately as quite a few of our citizens relocated there after the beginning of the special military operation," he said.

"However, the impact from their relocation turned out short-term to some extent: as soon as they ran out of money, they returned to Russia. Though companies set up for Russian citizens after the relocation still operate in Georgia and Armenia, which means that Russian money remained in the economy of those countries. However, such countries as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan benefited the most long-term, as they became kind of a hub for parallel imports," the expert added.

Kazakhstan could have benefited as well, though "money flowed back from it" due to Astana’s reserved, cautious position, Bobrovsky noted.