The article focuses on the concept of national interest, for the sake of which the Russian government implemented an embargo on the supply of food to Russia. It is shown that its implementation had a positive effect for agricultural producers and a negative effect for consumers. The economies of the countries that fell under the embargo did not suffer as a whole: the share of their food exports increased because they were able to shift to other markets. In Russia, the effect of the embargo was blurred by the devaluation of the ruble, as a result of which much of the public largely avoided imported food because it was more expensive. The growth of Russian production, especially of meat, in the context of a reduction in effective demand led to a change in prices. External benefits to other countries came in the form of reexporting food to Russia. When enacting countersanctions, other priorities could have been chosen, which would have been more effective and less negative for the Russian public.