The article presents the results of a study of the situation, adaptive behavior and dynamics of enterprises cooperative relations in the production sector of the Altai Territory of various sizes in the context of sanctions deployment. The specificity of the author's approach lies in the fact that the adaptation and cooperation of small enterprises of the region have been studied and characterized not «by themselves», but against the background of large and medium-sized organizations, which made it possible to identify their inherent features. The structure of the article is represented by two blocks. In the first of them, the dynamics of small business development in 2010–2020s is characterized. The second main part of the article reveals the features of the situation and adaptive behavior of small enterprises in comparison with large and medium-sized ones. Reasoned conclusions are made about the reduction in the analyzed period of the number of small businesses in the Altai Territory with the simultaneous growth of their economic potential and contribution to the economy of the region. It is proved that small enterprises in the production sector of the region, compared with large and mediumsized ones, have experienced less sanctions pressure. The risks typical for small business have been identified. The features of the scale, intensity and nature of cooperative relations of small enterprises in comparison with large and medium-sized enterprises of the region are characterized.