The European Union is preparing its 20th package of sanctions against Russia. The EU imposes a total ban on maritime services linked to Russian oil, announced Ursula von der Leyen.
The sanctions list will include another 43 ships that are part of Russia’s shadow fleet, and the bans will target a total of 640 ships. Purchases of oil for the ghost ships carrying fuel will be constrained, the sanctions list will be supplemented with 20 regional banks and companies trading in cryptocurrencies.
Export restrictions to Russia will also be tightened on rubber for tractors, cybersecurity services, and new measures will be introduced targeting the import of metals, critical chemicals and minerals, which are not yet sanctioned, additional restrictions on the export of items and technologies used in the production of explosive substances.
“To demonstrate our determination to reduce sanction evasion, we will activate the anti-evasion tool for the first time, by banning the export of any computerized numerical control machines and radios to jurisdictions where there is a high risk that these products will be re-exported to Russia.
Ultimately, we propose stronger legal guarantees for EU companies, to protect them from violations of their intellectual property rights or unjust expropriation in Russia due to abusive court decisions related to sanctions,” announced Ursula von der Leyen.
The head of the European Commission mentioned that Russia’s tax revenues from oil and gas sales fell by 24% in 2025, compared to 2024. The share is the lowest since 2020, and the money accumulated in the budget as a result of oil and gas sales will be the lowest in January, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.