The U.K. will impose a travel ban on individuals who have significant ties to the Russian state or have built their wealth through Kremlin connections. The new sanctions come amid broader Western efforts to tighten pressure on Moscow.
"We can adjust accordingly the return to our market of those who want to return," Russian President Vladimir Putin said, suggesting potential restrictions or conditions for Western firms looking to resume operations in Russia.
Sanctions against Russia remain a key tool of international pressure, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna said on Feb. 19.
Oil prices remained near a one-week high on Feb. 19 as concerns over supply disruptions in Russia and the U.S. continued to drive the market.
Key developments on Feb. 19: * Trump calls Zelensky 'dictator,' warns of Ukraine's demise without elections * Reported drone strike against Russian oil refinery in Samara Oblast causes fire * Ukraine refutes Putin's claims of Russian offensive from Kursk Oblast * North Korean troops in Russia reportedly told they're fighting South Korean forces
"Hungary also blocked sanctions against 27 individuals and organizations, including Patriarch Kirill, arguing that targeting religious leaders undermines peace efforts," a Hungarian government spokesperson said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured a group of European colleagues that sanctions would not be lifted earlier. The phone call took place on Feb. 18.
EU ambassadors agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia, targeting aluminum imports and the "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, Euronews reported on Feb. 19.
The European Union must take greater control of its sanctions policy against Russia as U.S. priorities shift, EU Economy and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Feb. 18.
Two explosions took place on the oil tanker Seajewel, moored in the Italian city of Savona on Feb. 18, with the vessel allegedly transporting Russian oil to Europe, Italian publication IVG reported.
Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has detained the director of popular online casino Pin-Up over its alleged Russian ownership and business in Russia, the agency announced in a press release on Feb. 14.
The Russian government has allowed several companies to abandon the modernization of over a dozen power plants across the country, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.
"If the U.S. president comes and creates peace, there is a deal, I think Russia will be reintegrated into the world economy." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
Russia has resorted to a "shadow fleet" to transport its oil and gas to get around Western sanctions and price caps. The Kyiv Independent spoke with Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Transatlantic Security Initiative, to find out what options the West has and how dangerous the shadow fleet actually is.
Ksenia Yudaeva is moving to Washington after the U.S. Treasury Department, still under the Biden administration, granted her permission to transition from remote to in-person duties as Russia's IMF executive director, Bloomberg reported in January.
Zservers, a bulletproof hosting (BPH) services provider, supported the Russian cybercrime group LockBit in perpetrating mass ransomware attacks, the U.S. Treasury Department said.
Chinese refiners are being offered Russian ESPO crude at discounted prices as rising concerns over U.S. sanctions create logistical and administrative challenges, deterring buyers, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 11.
Russian officials are concerned that the Western sanctions are undermining Russia's economic influence over countries in its close neighborhood and the Global South, the Financial Times reported on Feb. 10, citing a leaked government report.
The number of sanctioned vessels has now reached 265, with U.S. blacklisting proving to be the most disruptive. Of the 435 ships that transported Russian crude in 2024, 112—or 26%—are now under Washington’s sanctions.
A draft law approved this week by the Russian government's legislative commission lays out the procedure for seizing foreign property in retaliation for freezing Russian assets abroad.
Current U.S. sanctions on Russia, particularly those targeting its energy sector, amount to a "3 on a 10-point scale" regarding economic pressure, Keith Kellogg, special envoy for Ukraine and Russia said.
According to documents obtained by the FT, Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven sold their stakes for about Rbs 240 billion ($2.5 billion).
In 2023, the Russian branch of Raiffeisen Bank earned over $1 billion in the first three quarters, which accounted for about 50% of the group's total profit. The bank also paid 277 million euros ($284 million) in taxes to Russia over the same period, Bloomberg reported.
The sanctions will also cut off more Russian banks from the SWIFT banking system, and target an additional 70 vessels suspected to be part of Russia’s "shadow-fleet."
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski believes Trump's recent threats of sanctions against Moscow played a role in Hungary's decision to withdraw its veto.
"This will continue to deprive Moscow of revenues to finance its war. Russia needs to pay for the damage they are causing," EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said.
Editor's note: This article is an on-site version of KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter covering events from Jan. 27-Feb. 2. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. The 9-year terms of three Constitutional Court judges will
"Trump, in the first iteration of his presidency, was the American president who most often resorted to sanctions methods," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Vladimir Kiriyenko, son of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Deputy Chief of Staff Sergei Kiriyenko, has continued making investments in the West through offshore companies despite sanctions, The Moscow Times reported on Jan. 21.
The latest sanctions, imposed last week, targeted over 180 oil-carrying vessels of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, a group of aging tankers routinely used for sanction evasion.
"Today's actions frustrate the Kremlin's ability to circumvent our sanctions and get access to the goods they need to build weapons for their war of choice in Ukraine," said Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Wally Adeyemo.
The phase-out of LNG could be enacted as a sanction or part of a road map presented by the European Commission next month. Restrictions on aluminum would be gradual, with a time frame yet to be determined, officials said.
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