On July 18,2025, the member states of the European Union (EU) agreed to impose the 18th packageof sanctions against Russia. These sanctions impose stricter measuresparticularly in the energy and finance sectors. The Financial Intelligence Unit(FIU) urges close monitoring of changes in the sanctions regulations andemphasizes that it is especially important to ensure compliance among businessesinvolved in exports and international trade.

Key elementsof the 18th round of sanctions:

Lowered pricecap for Russian oil

A new Oil PriceCap mechanism has been established, reducing the existing price ceiling andallowing the price ceiling to be reviewed regularly in accordance with theaverage market price of oil. Currently, the cap has been lowered by 15%, from60 to 47.6 USD per barrel.

Ban on NordStream pipelines

The EU isintroducing a complete prohibition on transactions related to the Nord Stream 1and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. This means that no EU operator will be permittedto engage in either direct or indirect transactions concerning the completion,operation, maintenance, or use of these pipelines. The ban also extends to thepurchase of natural gas if it is supplied via these pipelines.

Prohibitionon the import of refined petroleum products

The EU hasimplemented a ban on importing refined petroleum products produced from Russiancrude oil. This means that EU Member States will also be prohibited fromimporting such products from third countries if they are manufactured usingcrude oil of Russian origin.

Expanded listof Russian “Shadow Fleet” vessels

The sanctionslist has been expanded with an additional 105 “shadow fleet” vessels thatprovide Russia with revenue to finance the war against Ukraine. In total,sanctions now apply to 447 vessels that transport Russian oil using risky andcovert delivery methods.

Stricter financialsector restrictions

Previousrestrictions regarding the use of the SWIFT system by certain Russian bankshave been converted into a full ban on transactions. In addition, the list ofbanks with which transactions are prohibited has been expanded by 22 newRussian credit institutions.

Furthermore,a transaction ban has been imposed on several banks outside Russia that use thefinancial messaging system SPFS created by the Central Bank of Russia. In thisway, Russia is seeking to reduce the impact of the disconnection of Russianbanks from the SWIFT system.

Expanded sanctionslists

An additional41 legal entities have been included in the sanctions list for providingsupport to the Russian military-industrial complex in the war against Ukraine,as well as for supplying goods and technologies that develop Russia’s militarysector. Simultaneously, the targeted financial sanctions list has been expandedwith 14 individuals.

Under thesanctions regime targeting human rights violations in Russia, sanctions havebeen imposed on five Russian judges involved in serious human rights abuses andin carrying out repression against civil society and the democratic opposition.

Meanwhile,under the sanctions regime addressing Russia’s destabilising activities in theEU and globally, a third package has been adopted, adding nine individuals andsix legal entities responsible for conducting foreign information manipulationand interference.

SanctionsAgainst Belarus

Eight legalentities linked to the military industry and arms production have been added tothe sanctions list. The Belarus sanctions regime has also been expanded toalign it with the sanctions imposed on Russia, including extended import andexport bans, an expanded list of goods and technologies prohibited from transitthrough Belarus, and a ban on transactions with certain Belarusian creditinstitutions and companies.

SanctionsAgainst the Destabilization of Moldova

Sevenindividuals and three legal entities have been added to the sanctions regimetargeting the destabilization of Moldova for activities directed against the stateof Moldova, including attempts to influence the 2024 presidential elections.The legal entities included in the sanctions list are located in Russia, whileamong the individuals, six hold Moldovan citizenship and one holds Russiancitizenship.

More detailedinformation on the new package of sanctions is available in the OfficialJournal of the European Union.

To supportentrepreneurs in developing and implementing a set of measures a.k.a. aninternal control system (ICS) for mitigating and managing sanctions-relatedrisks in transactions with businesses in heightened-risk countries, the FIU haspublished guidelines "Sanctions risk management for business inheightened-risk countries".

Sanctionslists and other useful information are available on the FIU’s official website.

From April 2024, the FIU is the national competentauthority in matters related to the sanctions implementation.