EU sanctions against Russia explained

The EU has prepared a special page on the European Council website explaining in detail what sanctions have been imposed on Russia following the recognition of non-government-controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the invasion of Ukraine in February this year.

These sanctions were added to the existing measures imposed on Russia since 2014 following the annexation of Crimea and the non-implementation of the Minsk agreements.

On this page you can find answers to the following questions:

• What sanctions has the EU adopted so far, who is being sanctioned and what individual sanctions mean in practice?
• What do the restrictive measures against Russian banks and the National Central Bank of Russia mean in practice?
• What are the sanctions on aviation, road and maritime transport?
• How is the EU’s trade with Russia being affected by the EU measures and what kind of import and export restrictions are in force?
• Are EU sanctions compliant with international law and are they coordinated with other partners?

There is also an infographic in English, Ukrainian and Russian which gives an overview of the sanctions currently imposed by the EU on Russia and Belarus.

Find out more

Press release