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European Union adopts 21st sanctions package targeting Russia

Date of publication: July 28, 2026.
The Council of the European Union has adopted the 21st package of restrictive measures against Russia in response to its war of aggression against Ukraine, introducing extensive financial, energy, trade and individual sanctions intended to further weaken Russia's war economy and address circumvention activities.
The package combines asset-freeze listings, prohibitions on making funds or economic resources available, transaction bans, port-access restrictions, trade controls, and other compliance obligations:
Financial institutions and crypto-asset services
  • Asset freezes and a prohibition on making funds available to
    94 Russian banks and major financial institutions
    , plus the designation of one key figure in Russia's banking establishment.
  • Transaction bans extended to
    33 additional Russian financial institutions
    , one Kyrgyz bank linked to SPFS, three other non-Russian banks, and
    14 crypto-asset service platforms
     in third countries.
  • The EU also added 4 designations related to the cross-border A7 network.
  • New possibility of a full third-country ban on crypto-asset services used by Russia.
Energy, oil and the shadow fleet
  • Oil price-cap adjustment mechanism paused until
    15 July 2027
    , with an interim review.
  • Restrictions extended to shadow-fleet support vessels, with
    41 additional vessels
     listed on top of the
    632 already sanctioned
    .
  • Designation of eight entities and one individual involved in the shadow-fleet ecosystem.
  • Oil-sector designations covering
    18 entities and one individual
    , including three Russian refineries, a major Belarusian refinery, and a company selling Belarusian petroleum products in Russia.
Refineries, oil trading and LNG
  • New possibility to prohibit transactions with listed refineries in Russia and third countries processing Russian crude oil or petroleum products.
  • Transaction ban on a Georgian refinery in Kulevi trading and processing Russian oil, entering into force in six months.
  • Five oil traders added to the transaction-ban list.
  • Notification requirements and potential further restrictions on LNG-tanker sales to Russian persons or entities, including contractual safeguards against resale or use in Russia.
Critical infrastructure
  • Designation of a key cross-border energy supplier and a prominent Russian Railways figure.
  • Transaction bans extended to
    two Russian ports
     and
    four Russian airports
    .
Gold, diamonds, mining and metallurgy
  • Designation of seven major gold-sector actors, an important diamond company, and several mining and metallurgy entities.
Military-industrial complex and export controls
  • 56 new listings
     involving Russia's military-industrial complex, including
    37
     directly linked to long-range drones and their supply chains.
  • 51 entities
     added to tighter dual-use export restrictions, including entities in China, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye and the UAE supporting circumvention.
Visas
  • Legal basis for a comprehensive visa ban on Russian armed-forces combatants, former combatants and proxy-group members involved in the war against Ukraine, with the entry-into-force date to be decided by the Council.
Propaganda and human-rights abuses
  • Eight individuals designated for war propaganda and manipulative narratives on Ukraine.
  • A Major General designated for responsibility for torture, executions and desecration of Ukrainian military personnel's bodies, including prisoners of war.
Legal protection for EU operators
  • EU courts and Member States may decline to recognise or enforce Russian court judgments arising from proceedings linked to EU restrictive measures.

Trade measures:

Export and import restrictions
  • Export bans now cover additional military-use items and technologies, including specified nickel and beryllium powders, jet-engine coating metals and alloys, aerospace and defence films and tapes, and drone-related aviation equipment such as ground-support, jamming, launch and flight-termination systems.
  • New import restrictions cover over
    €60 million
     in Russian revenue-generating goods, including metal ores, unwrought zinc, alkaline-earth metals, zinc and chromium oxides, certain glassware, imitation pearls and car parts.
Belarus
  • Parallel measures apply to Belarus, including revenue-generating import bans, military-industry export restrictions and related legal-protection provisions.
The EU's
21st package
 includes
218 listings
 -
48 individuals
 and
170 entities
 - and follows the European Council conclusions of
18 June 2026
 on reducing Russian energy revenues, countering the shadow fleet and further constraining Russia's banking system.

Conclusion

This 21st sanctions package significantly broadens the European Union's financial, energy, trade and individual measures against Russia and Belarus, with a particular focus on cutting revenue streams, constraining the military-industrial base and closing circumvention channels. Companies should carefully review the new listings, transaction bans, export and import restrictions, and legal protection provisions to update their screening, contracting, shipping, financing and compliance controls accordingly.
These changes have been updated in ONESOURCE Global Trade Content. For more information on how ONESOURCE Global Trade solutions can assist you in managing restricted party screening, please contact your Account Manager or Customer Success Manager.