The European Union has approved the 20th package of sanctions, affecting several key sectors — from crypto and banks to energy, logistics, and industry. Restrictions have been imposed on digital ruble projects, operations with RUBx, and also affected several ports and an oil terminal.
Banks
Another 20 Russian banks are now under sanctions. Among them are Derzhava Bank, BCS Bank, Levoberezhny, Metallinvestbank, Solidarnost, Blank, ITURUP, Eurofinance Mosnarbank, Fora-Bank, Russian Standard, UBRIR, Chelyabinvestbank, PSKB, SDM-Bank, Bank Avers, Hlynov, Post Bank, WB Bank, Avangard, and Yenisei United Bank.
The total number of credit institutions subjected to sanctions has reached 70.
The EU is also seeking to extend restrictions to four financial institutions from third countries — in Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Laos — for sanctions evasion or links to the Russian Financial Messaging System (SPFS), which has been under EU sanctions since 2024.
Cryptocurrencies and the digital ruble
One of the EU's decisions is a ban on operations with Russian crypto services. Projects linked to the A7A5 stablecoin — a ruble-pegged digital asset issued in 2025 in Kyrgyzstan — have also come under sanctions.
At the same time, the document includes a condition: five financial institutions from third countries may be removed from the sanctions lists if they cease the activities that triggered the EU's complaints.
Operations with RUBx and any support for digital ruble projects have been banned.
Fleet and logistics
The EU added another 46 vessels linked to the "shadow fleet" to the sanctions lists. Their total number has now reached 632. The European Union has banned them from entering its ports and from receiving any services.
The European Union's new sanctions prohibit transactions with the ports of Murmansk and Tuapse, as well as with the oil terminal in the Indonesian port of Karimun.
At the same time, mandatory checks are being introduced for tanker sales, along with a ban on servicing Russian LNG tankers and icebreakers. From January 2027, servicing LNG terminals for Russian entities will become illegal.
Energy and industry
In the energy sector, the sanctions affected Bashneft, Slavneft and its structures, a number of refineries, including Tuapse, Achinsk, Komsomolsk, and Afipsky, as well as the Ryazan Oil Refining Company and structures of LUKOIL and Gazprom.
MIPT and the company Rosnefteflot were also included in the list.
In addition, the European Union is restricting exports to Russia of goods worth more than €365 million — from rubber to tractors — and is also introducing new restrictions on imports of metals, chemicals, and minerals worth more than €530 million.