Russia's war against Ukraine: EU sanctions

Aim of sanctions against Russia

Since March 2014, the EU has progressively imposed restrictive measures on Russia in response to:

• the illegal annexation of Crimea (2014)
• the full-scale invasion of Ukraine (2022)
• the illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine (2022)

So far, 21 packages of sanctions have been adopted. These measures increase pressure on Russia and target its war economy, supporting efforts to end its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine.

EU sanctions are carefully targeted, designed to be proportionate, and are temporary in nature. This means that they are regularly reviewed and that the EU can calibrate, ease or end them if the EU’s objectives, or meaningful steps towards such objectives, are achieved.

In addition, the EU has adopted sanctions against Belarus, Iran and North Korea in view of their support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Sanctions have been adopted also in response to human rights abuses and violations in Russia and Russia's hybrid threats and campaigns against the EU and its member states.

Sanctions against individuals and entities

EU restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine apply to almost 3 000 individuals and entities.

Individuals sanctioned include:

The list also includes individuals responsible for or involved in the:

• so-called 'referenda' in 2022 and 'elections' in 2023 in Ukraine's territories
• atrocities committed in Bucha and Mariupol
• missile strikes against civilians and critical infrastructure
• deportation, forced transfer and unlawful adoptions of Ukrainian children
• military re-education of Ukrainian children
• recruitment of Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine
• manufacture and supply of drones
• circumvention of sanctions
• operation of Russia's shadow fleet
• looting of Ukraine's cultural heritage

Individuals from Iran, Belarus and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are also included in the list.

Sanctioned entities include:

• political parties
• armed forces and paramilitary groups, including the Wagner group
• banks and financial institutions
• media organisations responsible for propaganda and disinformation
• companies in the defence sector and involved in drone manufacturing
• companies in the transport and energy sectors
• companies in the aviation, shipbuilding and machine building sectors
• companies in the IT, telecoms and insurance sectors
• companies involved in the circumvention of sanctions
• companies linked to Russia's shadow fleet 
• PJSC Alrosa, the largest diamond-mining company in the world
• the 'All-Russia People's Front' movement
• organisations responsible for indoctrination and re-education of Ukranian children

Companies from third countries are also subject to sanctions in view of their support for Russia's war. The measures were first introduced in March 2014 and were most recently extended until 15 September 2026.

• Regulation concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (EU Official Journal)
• Decision concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (EU Official Journal)

The restrictive measures include:

Travel ban

Targeted persons cannot enter or transit through EU territories.

Asset freeze

All the assets of sanctioned individuals and entities in the EU are frozen.

Unavailability of funds

EU persons and entities cannot make any funds available to those sanctioned.

Economic sanctions

In 2014, the EU imposed economic sanctions targeting exchanges with Russia in specific economic sectors, in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea.

In March 2015, EU leaders decided to align the existing sanctions regime with the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, which was scheduled to take place at the end of December 2015.

Since this did not happen, the Council extended the economic sanctions until 31 July 2016.

Since July 2016, the economic sanctions have been extended successively for six months at a time. They are currently extended until 31 July 2027.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has intensified the measures under this sanctions regime.

Economic sanctions target Russia's financial, trade, energy, transport, technology and defence sectors, as well as services provided to Russia or to Russian nationals.

They also target Belarus, owing to its complicity with Russia, and Iran, in response to the manufacturing and provision of drones.

Finance

Defence and technology

Energy

Trade

Transport

Services

Here is an overview of the economic sanctions against Russia.

Finance

Measures in the finance sector include restrictions on Russia's access to the EU's capital and financial markets and bans on:

• transactions with over 100 Russian banks
• the use of the 'system for Transfer of Financial Messages' (SPFS)
• engagement by EU operators with the Russian 'national payment card system' (Mir) or the 'faster payments system' (SBP)
• large deposits by Russian nationals in EU banks
• investment in projects co-financed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund
• the supply of euro-denominated banknotes to Russia
• transactions in some crypto currencies and with a number of crypto platforms
• the provision of crypto assets and of advice on trusts assigned to Russian nationals

Energy

Measures in the energy sector include a price cap relating to the maritime transport of Russian oil and petroleum products and a notification obligation for the sale of LNG tankers. They also include bans on:

• imports from Russia of crude oil, petroleum products and coal
• imports of refined petroleum products made from Russian oil and coming from non-EU countries
• transactions with a list of oil traders
• imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquified petroleum gas (LPG)
• transactions related to Nord Stream 1 and 2
• the provision of gas storage capacity for Russian nationals
• new investments in Russia's LNG projects
• exports to Russia of goods and technologies for the energy industry
• new investments in Russia's energy and mining sectors

Transport

Measures in the transport sector include the closure of EU airspace to all Russian aircraft and of EU ports to all Russian vessels and to over 670 non-EU vessels that are part of Russia's shadow fleet. They also include bans on:

• exports to Russia of goods and technology in the aviation, maritime and space sectors
• exports to Russia of all aircraft, including aircraft parts and jet fuel
• Russian road transport operators transporting goods into the EU
• trailers and semi-trailers registered in Russia transporting goods into the EU
• transactions with the Russian maritime shipping register
• the provision of transport-related repair, maintenance and financial services

Defence and technology

Measures in the defence and technology sectors include export restrictions for a list of entities directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex, many of which are located in third countries. They also include a ban on exports to Russia of:

• dual-use goods and technology for military use
• drone engines and components for the production of drones  
• arms and civilian firearms and the components thereof
• ammunition, military vehicles and paramilitary equipment
• IT, electronic and optical components
• chemicals, navigational instruments, generators and thermostats
• cameras, lenses, toy drones, laptops and hard drives
• other goods and technology which could enhance Russia's defence and security sectors

Trade in raw materials and other goods

Measures in the trade sector include a ban on exports to Russia of luxury goods, quotas for imports of potassium chloride and a ban on imports from Russia of:

• steel, iron, pig iron, aluminium and other metals
• copper and aluminium wire, tubes and foil
• cement, bitumen and asphalt
• wood, paper, rubber and plastics
• helium and other chemicals
• seafood, spirits, cigarettes and cosmetics
• diamonds and gold, including jewellery
• other goods which could enhance Russia's industrial capabilities

Services

Measures in the services sector include a mandatory prior authorisation for all services provided to the Russian government and a ban on providing the following services to Russia or to Russian nationals:

• accounting, auditing, bookkeeping and tax consulting
• construction, architectural and engineering
• cybersecurity, IT consultancy and legal advisory
• advertising, market research and public opinion polling
• technical assistance, brokering or financial assistance relating to goods and technology covered by other sanctions
• intellectual property rights or trade secrets relating to goods and technology covered by other sanctions
• software for the management of enterprises, for industrial design and manufacture and for certain uses in the banking and financial sector
• crypto‑asset services
• maintenance for LNG tankers and ice-breakers and LNG terminal services

The above lists are not exhaustive. The full list of sanctions is available on the website of the EU Official Journal:

• Regulation concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia's actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (EU Official Journal)
• Decision concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia's actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (EU Official Journal)

Immobilised Russian assets

With the adoption of the third package of sanctions against Russia on 28 February 2022, around €210 billion of the Central Bank of Russia's assets were immobilised in the EU.

In May 2024, the Council adapted the legal framework to ensure that the extraordinary revenues generated from the immobilisation of the assets of the Central Bank of Russia in the EU can be used to support Ukraine.

EU rules adopted on 25 October 2024 provide that 95% of the extraordinary revenues will be allocated to the EU budget and channelled through the Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism, an instrument created by the EU to help Ukraine repay EU-G7 loans of around €45 billion. The remaining 5% will be allocated to the European Peace Facility.

In December 2025, the Council decided to prohibit, on a temporary basis, any transfers of Central Bank of Russia assets immobilised in the EU back to Russia.

• How are immobilised Russian assets used?

Bans on media outlets

Since 2022, the EU has suspended the broadcasting activities and licences of several Kremlin-backed disinformation outlets.

These outlets have been used by the Russian government as instruments to manipulate information and promote disinformation about the military aggression against Ukraine, including propaganda aimed at destabilising the countries neighbouring Russia, the EU and its member states.

Currently the broadcasting ban applies to 27 media outlets:

• EADaily / Eurasia Daily
• Fondsk
• Izvestia
• Katehon
• Krasnaya Zvezda / Tvzvezda
• Lenta
• New Eastern Outlook
• NewsFront
• NTV/NTV Mir

• Oriental Review
• Pervyi Kanal
• REN TV
• RIA Novosti
• RuBaltic
• Russia Today and its subsidiaries
• Rossiya RTR / RTR Planeta
• Rossiya 24 / Russia 24
• Rossiya 1

• Rossiyskaya Gazeta
• SouthFront
• Spas TV Channel
• Sputnik and its subsidiaries
• Strategic Culture Foundation
• Tsargrad TV Channel
• TV Centre International
• Voice of Europe

Funding of political parties in the EU

Russia continually attempts to interfere with democratic processes in the EU and to undermine its democratic foundations, including through influence campaigns and by promoting disinformation.

The EU has therefore decided that political parties and foundations, non-governmental organisations, think tanks, and media service providers in the EU will no longer be allowed to accept funding from the Russian state and its proxies.

In line with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, these measures will not prevent media service providers and their staff from carrying out other activities in the EU, such as research and interviews.

Other economic restrictions

Restrictions on economic relations with specific areas

The Council has adopted targeted economic measures in relation to specific areas, following:

• the illegal annexation by Russia of Crimea and Sevastopol
• Russia's recognition of the non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson

These measures include restrictions on:

imports

exports

services

The restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol were introduced in 2014, and were most recently extended until 23 June 2027.

The restrictive measures in response to Russia's decision to proceed with the recognition of the non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in Ukraine as independent entities, and the subsequent decision to send Russian troops into those areas, were adopted in February 2022.

In October 2022, these measures were extended to cover the non-government-controlled areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. They were most recently extended until 24 February 2027.

• Regulation concerning restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol (EU Official Journal)
• Decision concerning restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol (EU Official Journal)
• Regulation concerning restrictive measures in response to the illegal recognition, occupation or annexation by Russia of certain non-government-controlled areas of Ukraine (EU Official Journal)
• Decision concerning restrictive measures in response to the illegal recognition, occupation or annexation by Russia of certain non-government-controlled areas of Ukraine (EU Official Journal)

Measures concerning economic cooperation

In 2014, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) decided that Russia would no longer be a recipient country, and stopped approving investments in that country.

In the same year, the European Investment Bank (EIB) suspended the signing of new financing operations in Russia. EU bilateral and regional cooperation programmes with Russia were re-assessed and suspended.

In addition, together with other members of the World Trade Organization, the EU agreed to deny most-favoured-nation treatment for Russian products and services on EU markets. 

Misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds   

In March 2014, the Council decided to freeze the assets of individuals responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds. These measures were most recently extended until 6 March 2027.

• Regulation concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons, entities and bodies in view of the situation in Ukraine (EU Official Journal)
• Decision concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons, entities and bodies in view of the situation in Ukraine (EU Official Journal)

The EU has also imposed sanctions on media organisations and individuals polluting the public space with disinformation.

Tariffs on agricultural products and fertilisers

On 12 June 2025, the Council adopted a regulation that introduces tariffs on agricultural products and certain nitrogen-based fertilisers from Russia and Belarus that were not yet subject to extra customs duties.

Imports from Russia of the fertilisers concerned by the new tariffs represent over 25% of the EU's total fertiliser imports, totalling close to 3.6 million tonnes. 

The tariffs are expected to reduce Russian export revenues, thereby limiting Russia's ability to finance its war of aggression against Ukraine. The regulation will concern imports into the EU only. Russian agricultural and fertiliser exports to third countries remain unaffected.

• Trade : EU adopts new tariffs on Russian and Belarusian agricultural goods and fertilisers (press release, 12 June 2025)

Diplomatic measures

Suspension of bilateral summits

In 2014, the EU-Russia summit was cancelled, and EU member states decided to stop holding regular bilateral summits with Russia. Bilateral talks with Russia on visa matters were also suspended.

Instead of the G8 summit in Sochi, a G7 meeting was held - without Russia - in Brussels on 4 and 5 June 2014. Since then, meetings have continued in the G7 format.

EU countries also supported the suspension of negotiations over Russia joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Since October 2025, Russian diplomats are obliged to inform in advance the relevant EU member state, when travelling in the Schengen area beyond their country of accreditation.

Suspension of visa agreement

In February 2022, the EU decided that Russian diplomats, other Russian officials and businesspeople may no longer benefit from visa facilitation provisions, which allow privileged access to the EU.

In September 2022, the Council adopted a decision that fully suspends the visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia. Consequently, the general rules of the visa code apply to Russian citizens.

In December 2022, the Council adopted a decision on the non-acceptance of Russian travel documents issued in Ukraine and Georgia.

This decision came in response to Russia's practice of issuing Russian international passports to residents of occupied regions. It also followed Russia's unilateral decision to recognise the independence of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008.

Russian travel documents issued in, or to persons resident in, Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine or breakaway territories in Georgia are not accepted as valid travel documents for obtaining a visa or for crossing the borders of the Schengen area.

• Council adopts full suspension of visa facilitation with Russia (press release, 9 September 2022)
• Council adopts decision not to accept Russian documents issued in Ukraine and Georgia (press release, 8 December 2022)

Anti-circumvention measures

Faced with the scale of the EU's sanctions, Russian targets have deployed various techniques to circumvent them, such as using complex financial schemes, falsifying the nature or origin of the goods traded or relying on the jurisdictions of third countries.

The EU has taken several measures to counter circumvention, including:

• sanctions against individuals and entities involved in circumvention, including those involved in Russia's shadow fleet
• export restrictions on dual-use and advanced technology items for hundreds of entities, including many located outside Russia and directly supporting Russia's war
• extension of the transactions ban to non-EU operators based outside Russia who facilitate the circumvention of oil-related restrictions

The EU has banned access to EU ports for vessels:

• that are part of Russia's shadow fleet transporting Russian crude oil or products that are made from Russian crude oil and are responsible for circumventing the oil price cap (over 670 vessels so far)
• engaged in ship-to-ship transfers and suspected of breaching sanctions
• suspected of illegally interfering with or disabling their shipborne automatic identification system when transporting Russian oil

In addition, transactions with  Russian ports, locks and airports used for the circumvention of the oil price cap are also banned.

The EU has introduced bans on the transit of dual-use goods, technologies and battlefield goods being exported from the EU to third countries via Russian territory, and on the re-exportation of particularly sensitive goods and technology to Russia and for use in Russia (the 'no-Russia' clause).

The EU has required:

• EU parent companies to ensure that their third-country subsidiaries do not take part in any activities resulting in an outcome that the sanctions seek to prevent
• EU operators to implement due diligence mechanisms for selling battlefield goods to third countries
• EU operators transferring industrial know-how for the production of battlefield goods to third countries to include contractual provisions to ensure that the know-how will not be used for goods intended for Russia

To limit circumvention of the prohibition on the provision of crypto-asset wallet, account or custody services to Russian persons or residents, the EU introduced a ban on Russian nationals or natural persons residing in Russia from owning or controlling the legal persons, entities or bodies providing such services, or holding any posts on their governing bodies. The EU has also adopted sanctions targeting crypto providers.

In addition, notifications are required for transfers of funds exceeding €100 000 outside the EU by any entity established in the EU that is owned or controlled by Russia.

Other sanctions against Russia

In addition to the sanctions in response to Russia's war against Ukraine, the EU has also imposed sanctions targeting those responsible for serious human rights violations or abuses, for repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Russia.

Sanctions in response to Russia's hybrid threats and campaigns against the EU have also been adopted.

See also

• EU sanctions against Russia: questions and answers
• Sanctions adopted following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine (European Commission)
• EU sanctions against Belarus
• EU sanctions against Iran
• EU sanctions against North Korea