The European Council adopted a 19th package of restrictive measures against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, adding 69 individual listings and introducing further sectoral sanctions spanning energy, finance, trade and services. The package also tightens controls on the movement of Russian diplomats within the EU, strengthens measures targeting those linked to the abduction of Ukrainian children, and includes additional measures aimed at limiting Belarus’ support for Russia’s war effort. On energy, the measures ban imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the EU from January 2027 for long-term contracts and within six months for short-term contracts, tighten the existing transaction ban on Rosneft and Gazprom Neft, and add designations targeting the shadow fleet value chain, including 117 additional vessels (bringing the total to 557) subject to port access and maritime-services bans, plus a new ban on reinsuring shadow fleet vessels. Financial restrictions expand transaction bans to additional banks and oil traders in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, prohibit EU operators from engaging with Russia’s National Payment Card System (Mir) and Fast Payments System (SBP), and add sanctions focused on circumvention via crypto, including prohibiting transactions involving the state-supported stablecoin A7A5 and designating its developer, Kyrgyz issuer and a major trading platform. Trade and services measures tighten export restrictions on 45 entities supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex (including entities in China including Hong Kong, India and Thailand), expand export bans to additional listed goods, prohibit the purchase, import or transfer of all acyclic hydrocarbons, list Russia’s largest gold producer, require prior authorisation for all services provided to the Russian government, restrict AI, high-performance computing and commercial space-based services to Russian entities, and ban tourism-related services in Russia.
European Council 2025-10-23
European Council adopts 19th Russia sanctions package adding 69 listings and setting Russian LNG import ban from January 2027
The European Council adopted a 19th package of sanctions against Russia, adding 69 individual listings and imposing further sectoral sanctions on energy, finance, trade, and services. Key measures include a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports, expanded financial restrictions, and tightened export controls on entities supporting Russia's military-industrial complex. The package also targets Belarus' support for Russia and restricts Russian diplomats' movement in the EU.