Yes, they spent the past ~10 years preparing for Western sanctions by buying gold and foreign currencies. They were warned by western countries before 2014 and took the time to adjust their strategy.

IMHO the most interesting change they did is to become self-sufficient regarding their food production, and even net exporter of wheat, corn, and other cereals. They correctly identified that was a risk and made necessary changes to reduce it to the point where they can leverage their position against other actors.