The European Commission has unveiled a new, 19th package of restrictions against Russia. Formally, it still needs approval from all 27 EU capitals, but the very announcement is already a signal: Europe is not just maintaining its sanctions course, it is reshaping it to seal off every possible loophole. This time, the focus is on three key fronts: financial intermediaries, maritime logistics, and digital assets. Everything that until now remained in a “grey zone” is being brought into the spotlight.
In the past, the main tool was blocking individual major banks. Now the EU is changing its approach: a ban is being introduced on any transactions with a whole range of Russian credit institutions. Moreover, banks in third countries that helped process ruble payments or facilitated deals with Russian oil are also falling into the risk zone. This is effectively a warning not only to Moscow, but also to financial hubs in Asia or the Middle East: cooperation with Russia could mean losing access to the European market.
A special emphasis is placed on maritime oil transport. The EU has added another 118 vessels to its sanctions lists — ships used to bypass the $60 per barrel price cap. Sailing under “convenient” flags of Panama or Liberia, these tankers avoided Western insurance and continued carrying Russian oil in defiance of the rules. Now their journey becomes far more complicated: without insurance coverage and access to European ports, such voyages are extremely risky. For Russia, this means higher costs, delays, and the need to offer deeper discounts on its crude.
For the first time in its sanctions history, the EU is stepping directly into the world of cryptocurrencies. From now on, platforms operating in Europe are obliged to detect and block transactions linked to Russian residents or circumvention schemes. This applies not only to major exchanges like Binance or Kraken, but to any service that can bypass banking restrictions. Withdrawal caps, strict KYC requirements, and IP tracking — all of this turns the crypto market into a new front line of the financial war.
Energy is another critical element. The EU has declared that by January 1, 2027, it will completely phase out imports of Russian liquefied natural gas. This deadline gives traders and energy companies a clear horizon to renegotiate contracts and shift toward Qatar, the U.S., or Africa. But in the long run, it will deal a heavy blow to Russia’s revenues, since LNG has become one of the few remaining sources of hard currency after oil exports were curtailed.
Package No. 19 is less about symbolic shows of political will and more about meticulous work on “sealing the cracks” in the sanctions system. Europe is no longer playing with selective measures; it aims to close every loophole — whether shadow tankers, crypto wallets, or Asian banks. For Russia, this means rising transaction costs and further fragmentation of its logistics. For businesses worldwide, it’s a warning: ties with Moscow are becoming increasingly toxic. If earlier sanctions could be compared to blows against a tree, today’s are more like the coils of a constrictor snake — tightening slowly, but inevitably squeezing the air out of its prey.
