A year of sanctions against Russia

Symbolically, it was on the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine that European Union (EU) member states chose to announce the 10th package of sanctions against Russia, still engaged in the invasion of its neighbour and former historical ally. Like its predecessors, this sanctions package expands the number of individuals and entities concerned – 121 more, now a total of 1,473, including Iranians – as well as the sectors targeted – truck parts, aircraft engines, antennas, synthetic rubber, electronic components…

The first sanctions against Russia were imposed in the summer of 2014 in reaction to its annexation of Crimea, officially validated by a referendum of the population of this peninsula bordering the Black Sea. But it was with the acceleration of the Russian threat to eastern Ukraine that the pace and scope of sanctions increased. The first package was adopted on 23 February 2022 in response to Vladimir Putin's speech recognising the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk as Russian. Targeting political and military figures, it also introduced the idea of cutting off the Russian Federation's access to capital markets so that it could not use them to finance military intervention.