MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/. The key goal of the West’s anti-Russian sanctions is to change the Russian leadership, secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolay Patrushev said on Friday.

"Sanctions imposed on Russia are geared to bring down our economic potential in order to influence the policy we are conducting. And, as a matter of fact, to change the current leadership in the country," he told journalists.

However, according to Patrushev, sanctions have positive aspects too by opening new possibilities. "I think we can benefit from these sanctions," he said, adding that the Russian economy was more adversely impacted by dependence on hydrocarbon exports and technology imports rather than by the sanctions.

"Currently, we are looking at how to get rid of that," he said.