EU adopts 20th package of sanctions against Russia

The European Commission (EC) has announced the 20^th sanctions package against Russia, introducing new trade and customs-related measures designed to disrupt Russia's military-industrial complex, restrict its access to key technologies, and counter the circumvention of existing controls.

According to the EC release (April 22, 2026), this package expands direct trade controls through:

• New export bans on over €365 million worth of goods
• New import bans valued at over €530 million, targeting metals, chemicals, and minerals not previously sanctioned.
• Further export restrictions on items used by Russia's military, such as explosives and laboratory glassware.
• The establishment of a quota on ammonia to cap existing import volumes.

A primary focus of the new measures is preventing sanctions evasion. For the first time, the EU has activated its “anti-circumvention tool,” targeting the re-export of certain EU-made machine tools and telecommunication equipment to Russia from the Kyrgyz Republic.

Additionally, the package adds 60 entities to the list of those supporting Russia's military industrial complex or engaged in sanctions circumvention. This includes 32 entities established in Russia and 28 in third countries (China, including Hong Kong, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, and Thailand).

The package also tightens controls on the transportation of goods, particularly Russian oil. Key measures include:

• Listing 46 additional vessels in Russia's "shadow fleet," which are now subject to a port access ban and a ban on receiving services.
• Sanctioning two Russian ports and, for the first time, a third-country port in Indonesia for their links to sanctions circumvention.
• Requiring EU sellers of oil tankers to include a mandatory "no Russia" clause in sales contracts to prevent their use in the shadow fleet.

Finally, the package mirrors certain trade-related provisions of the Russian sanctions regime in the corresponding regime for Belarus.