The sanctions amount to illegal interference in Russia’s internal affairs in an effort to force Russian officials to serve the West’s geo-political interests. I can well imagine how American officials would react if Russian officials tried through sanctioning them to force American officials to serve Russian interests.
Treating Russia like an errant child is counter-productive as well as in terms of a meaningless political display of pique to assuage American public opinion. The US did not even do this during the worst days of the Cold War. Russia is being punished simply for having a difference of views with the US about Crimea. This is not going to force Russia to reverse course. It will have precisely the opposite effect.
Depending upon the propaganda machine and who it is that applies the sanctions, sanctions can be viewed as an act of war or as a friendly nudge to go do the right thing.
The world at large has become a victim to the science of propaganda and manipulating public opinion. The only thing we the people will ever know for certain is that we don’t know anything for certain.