18 May 2026

20th package of EU sanctions against Russia

Written by:Katie Palms Marc Lager Martijn van Wanroij Thilo Streit Ignacio Escondrillas

Key takeaways

On 23 April 2026, the European Union (EU) adopted its 20th package of sanctions against Russia, together with additional measures targeting Belarus. The package contains the largest addition of individual listings in two years and introduces a collection of trade restrictions across energy, financial services and crypto sectors, among other, with a strong focus on closing circumvention routes and tightening existing measures.

Summarised below are a selection of key new sanctions introduced. Operators should note, however, that the 20th package is detailed and sector-specific, and the below summary does not cover all of the new sanctions introduced. Firms in the energy, shipping, insurance, crypto and metals sectors, in particular, may wish to consult the new regulations and accompanying FAQ for additional detail.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE REGIME (COUNCIL REGULATIONS 269/2014 AND 833/2014)

New asset freeze measures

The 20th package adds 120 individuals and entities to the EU asset freeze list (37 natural persons and 83 legal persons). The new listings focus primarily on:

companies and individuals active across the Russian oil and energy value chain, including production, refining and transportation activities;
actors involved in the transportation and insurance of Russian oil, including operators established in third countries;
entities forming part of the Russian military‑industrial base, including manufacturers of military equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles;
third‑country companies that have supplied dual‑use goods or military‑related items to the Russian defence sector; and
individuals and entities involved in the deportation, transfer or military re‑education of Ukrainian children, as well as in propaganda activities and the appropriation of Ukrainian cultural property.

With these additions, the total number of individuals listed under EU-Russia sanctions now exceeds 2,700.

Energy, shipping and maritime measures

EU FAQ accompanying the new measures state that constraining Russia’s energy revenues will remain a top priority for the bloc. The FAQ also state that “Russia should not benefit from the war in Iran and therefore pressure should be kept on Russia through sanctions”.

In line with these statements, the 20th package adds new sanctions targeting Russian energy and the seaborne transit of Russian oil and gas, including to:

Add an additional 46 vessels to the EU’s port and maritime services ban, while at the same time removing 11 vessels where operators demonstrated they had turned away from the transport of sanctioned Russian oil;
Prohibit the provision of insurance to any Russian ice-breaker vessels, ice-breaker vessels operating in Russia or for use in Russia, and – from 1 January 2027 – to any LNG tanker vessel operating in Russia or for use in Russia, even where those vessels are not Russian flagged, certified, owned or managed;
Ban transactions with two Russian ports – Murmansk and Tuapse – and with the oil terminal at the port of Karimun in Indonesia, which, according to the EU press release, are used to circumvent the oil price cap; and
Strengthen controls on tanker sales by EU operators by requiring sellers to apply enhanced due diligence and include contractual safeguards aimed at preventing the resale or redeployment of vessels for Russian oil transport.

The 20th package did not implement the full maritime services ban that had been announced in February 2026. However, the EU has introduced the legal framework that would enable it, subject to a subsequent Council decision and coordination with G7 partners, to implement the ban, which would prohibit the transport of Russian crude oil and petroleum products and related services, including financing and insurance.

Financial services and crypto

The Council’s announcement of the 20th package states that Russia is becoming increasing reliant on cryptocurrencies for international transactions. In response, this new round expands restrictions on crypto, Russia’s financial sector and alternative payment mechanisms used to support cross‑border transactions, including to:

add 20 Russian banks to the list of financial institutions subject to a transaction ban, reflecting their role in facilitating cross‑border payments or financial services linked to the Russian economy;
list third-country (Laos and Kyrgyzstan) banks found to be involved in circumvention activities or connected to the Russian financial messaging system (SPFS);
prohibit interactions with Russian crypto‑asset service providers, including decentralised trading platforms;
ban the use of and support for Russian state‑linked digital assets, including stablecoins pegged to the rouble and the digital rouble under development by the Russian central bank; and
prohibit transactions with designated payment intermediaries that facilitate cross‑border settlements for Russian entities through netting, mirror accounts or similar mechanisms designed to avoid the movement of funds.

New import and export restrictions

Export restrictions

The 20th package adds a range of industrial goods with both civilian and military relevance to the lists of goods prohibited for export to Russia and the provision of related services. Newly added items include chemicals used for lubricating additives, rubber and articles of vulcanised rubber, specific steel articles, tools and components used for metal production and high‑power industrial tractors.

The new sanctions also add over 60 persons from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Türkiye and the UAE to the list of persons that are military end-users, form part of Russia’s military and industrial complex or that have commercial or other links with, or which otherwise support Russia’s defence and security sector (Annex IV). Their addition means it is prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export dual-use goods and technology to them, and precludes the possibility of obtaining a licence to sell, supply, transfer or export certain other categories of goods and technology to them.

Import restrictions

The 20th package also expands bans on imports and related services to several categories of metals, minerals, and chemicals, including copper, aluminium products, steel scrap, and certain processed materials, and introduces a yearly quota on ammonia imports.

Activation of the anti‑circumvention tool

For the first time, the EU activated its anti‑circumvention mechanism, imposing targeted export restrictions on specific high‑risk goods destined for Kyrgyzstan. The restrictions cover selected machine tools and telecommunications equipment used in military applications. As set out in the recitals to the amended regulations, the EU considers the new sanctions “justified" based on available trade data for the first ten months of 2025, which indicate dramatically higher imports of these items from the EU to Kyrgyzstan and “demonstrate a continuing and particularly high risk of circumvention, through their subsequent sale, supply, transfer or export from the Kyrgyz Republic to Russia”.

Professional services ban

The 20th package expanded the professional services ban to include a prohibition on the provision of any managed cybersecurity services to the Government of Russia and any entities established in Russia.

BELARUS SANCTIONS REGIME (COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) 765/2006)

As highlighted in the European Council’s press release, the 20th package also includes measures targeting Belarus that are intended to mirror those imposed on Russia, notably trade measures, legal protection, measures on crypto and restrictions on the provision of cybersecurity services and tourism services.

The package also introduces three new listings related to the Belarusian military‑industrial complex (including a Chinese state-owned entity) and the Lukashenka regime.