The focus of the present study is to find out how economic sanctions are discussed in two popular economic journals. This is done by examining the discursive de/legitimation strategies and discourses in the chosen Finnish and Russian journals using critical discourse analysis. CDA examines how discourse structures enact, confirm, legitimate, reproduce or challenge relations of power and dominance in society. (van Dijk 2001, 353.) The present study is driven to answer the following research question – what strategies were used in the legitimation of the economic sanctions imposed on Russia in the chosen news media articles? The results will eventually reveal the two stories on the legitimation process of the sanctions against Russia, from Finnish and Russian perspectives. The research data consists of articles which were published in Finnish Talouselämä and Russian Kommersant between March 2014 and March 2015. Legitimation is considered being the process by which speakers recognize a type of positive, beneficial social behavior in a specific situation. (Vaara & Tienari 2008; Vaara 2009; van Dijk 1998; Van Leeuwen & Wodak 1999; Reyes 2011, 782.) Vaara and Monin explain that delegitimation in turn means establishing a sense of negative, morally intolerable action. (Vaara & Monin 2010, 6.) This master’s thesis consists of four main parts which are theoretical framework, methodology, research findings and then discussion. The results of the critical discourse analysis show that Finnish discourse highlights the rational reasoning of sanctions harming the economy but however along the European Union Finland imposes sanctions, after all the annexation of Crimea is against the international principles of integrity of a sovereign state. The Russian discourse emphasizes the fact how economic sanctions will not affect the foreign policy of Russia, actually many quotes show that some authorities explain Russia to become stronger due to imposed sanctions which will make Russia to activate in domestic food producing industries.