The European Union officially rolled out its 18th sanctions package, overcoming opposition from Slovakia. The sanctions are aimed squarely at crippling Moscow’s revenue streams and tightening the noose on its shadow fleet of sanctioned tankers
Under the new measures, the oil price cap for Russian crude will be tightened—reduced to roughly $47–$48 per barrel, or about 15% below prevailing prices. Meanwhile, transactions related to Nord Stream pipelines are now fully banned, and refined oil products made from Russian crude face a complete import prohibition.
The EU will blacklist 105 additional vessels tied to Russia’s shadow tanker fleet, and for the first time has decided to sanction an, as yet unspecified, ship registry. This move builds on earlier efforts, bringing the total number of sanctioned vessels to well over 400. Also of interest from a shipping perspective has been the decision to sanction the biggest Rosneft refinery in India.
Financially, the package targets Russian and third-country banks suspected of aiding sanction evasion. It also includes asset freezes and transactional bans on key military-linked energy entities like Rosneft and Surgutneftegas. The Nord Stream ban further severs EU ties to Russian energy infrastructure.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas declared this sanctions package “among the strongest to date,” emphasising it would continue ramping up pressure until Moscow halts its aggression. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen echoed the tone, saying “Strength is the only language that Russia will understand.”
You can read more information here.
Sanctioned Russian Giant Rostec Bypasses Banks with Tron-Based RUBx Stablecoin
