International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian war

International sanctions are rules that countries agree to follow to put pressure on another country. During the Russo-Ukrainian War, many countries like the United States, Canada, and the European Union put sanctions on Russia and Crimea. These sanctions started in 2014 after Russia took control of Crimea from Ukraine. The sanctions were meant to punish Russia for its actions and to show support for Ukraine.

These sanctions made it hard for Russian businesses and leaders to do business with other countries. Russia answered back by banning food imports from several countries, which hurt those countries' economies too. The sanctions also made the Russian money, called the ruble, lose value and caused problems for Russia's economy.

Even today, many countries still have these sanctions in place to keep putting pressure on Russia. After Russia invaded Ukraine again in 2022, countries like the United States and the European Union added more sanctions, including cutting off some Russian banks from a important global money system called SWIFT. These sanctions continue to affect both Russia and the countries that trade with it.

Background

Main articles: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014–present), Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and War in Donbas

Before the events in Crimea and the fighting in Donbas, there were already disagreements between Russia and the United States about important issues. In 2012, the U.S. created a law to stop certain Russian officials from entering the country or using its banks. This was because of how a Russian man named Sergei Magnitsky was treated while in prison.

When Russia took control of Crimea and later started a bigger fight in Ukraine, many countries, led by the United States and the European Union, decided to place restrictions on some Russian people and businesses. As the situation grew worse in eastern Ukraine, these restrictions became stronger.

There were three main types of restrictions: stopping certain technologies from being given to Russian oil and gas companies, not allowing loans to these companies and big Russian banks, and not letting important Russian citizens travel. Russia answered by putting restrictions on some people from Canada and the United States, and later stopped buying food from several countries.

Sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals, companies and officials

Main article: List of people sanctioned during the Russo-Ukrainian War

Countries have placed restrictions on people and businesses from Russia and Ukraine. These include leaders, business owners, and others involved in the conflict.

First round: March/April 2014

In March 2014, the United States began placing restrictions on individuals who tried to control Crimea without Ukraine’s permission. The United States, the European Union, and Canada also introduced specific restrictions a day after a vote in Crimea and just before Russia declared it would take control of the area. These were some of the strongest actions taken against Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Other countries, like Australia, Japan, and Albania, also added their own restrictions.

Second round: April 2014

In April 2014, the Council of Europe stopped Russia from voting in meetings. The United States also stopped certain Russian leaders and companies from doing business in the U.S.

Third round: 2014–2021

As the fighting in eastern Ukraine grew worse, the United States and the European Union added more restrictions. These included stopping certain Russian banks and energy companies from doing business, limiting trade in weapons, and controlling the sale of technology used in making weapons. Other countries like Canada, Japan, Australia, and Norway also added their own restrictions.

Fourth round: 2022

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many more countries joined in placing restrictions. These included stopping Russian banks from using international money systems, freezing Russian assets, and stopping trade in many goods. The United States and the European Union led these efforts, and countries like Singapore and South Korea also took part for the first time.

11th round: June 2023

In June 2023, the European Union added more restrictions to stop Russia from getting technology needed for its war efforts. This included limiting the sale of computer chips and other important technology. The United States also asked companies to stop sending certain goods to Russia. There were also new rules to stop ships from moving sanctioned goods between countries.

Oil

In 2022, many countries stopped buying oil from Russia. The United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union all put limits on how much they would pay for Russian oil to make it harder for Russia to fund its war.

Banking

In February 2022, the United States and the United Kingdom placed restrictions on major Russian banks. This meant these banks could not use international money systems or have their assets frozen. Other countries like Japan and Switzerland also joined in these efforts.

Dual-use ban

The United States put limits on sending certain technology to Russia, especially items that could be used in making weapons. This included things like computer chips, lasers, and sensors. Companies were required to get special permission to send these items, which was rarely given.

Opposition to sanctions

Some countries and leaders were not in favor of the sanctions placed on Russia. Leaders from Italy, Hungary, Greece, France, Cyprus, and Slovakia thought the early sanctions should be reviewed. They believed the sanctions hurt their own economies more than Russia's.

Other leaders, such as those from Greece and Germany, preferred talking to Russia instead of using sanctions. Some companies tried to bypass the sanctions to do business with Crimea. Reports suggested these sanctions could cost Western countries a lot of money. In 2022, China and several other regions also opposed these sanctions, saying they did not change Russia's actions and mostly affected ordinary people. Some countries, like India and Turkey, chose not to join the sanctions because they relied on Russia for resources like oil and gas.

Other actions not linked directly to sanctions

Air travel

After the invasion of Ukraine, the UK stopped Russian airplanes from flying in its airspace. Soon after, the EU, Canada, and the US did the same.

Diplomatic actions

Main article: Diplomatic expulsions during the Russo-Ukrainian War

In March 2018, 29 Western countries and NATO sent away at least 149 Russian diplomats. The United States sent away 60 of them. This happened after a poisoning incident in the United Kingdom that people blamed on Russia.

After the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many Western countries told over 600 Russian diplomats they were no longer welcome. Many of them were thought to be spies.

Turkish control of transiting ships to/from the Black Sea

Turkey’s Foreign Minister said his country would treat the Russian invasion as a “war.” This allowed Turkey to stop Russian and Ukrainian military ships from moving into or out of the Black Sea.

Independent company actions

Main article: List of companies that applied sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War

After sanctions began, many companies stopped doing business in Russia or Belarus. Big companies like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express stopped working with Russian banks in March 2022.

Some companies found it hard to leave Russia. A study in July 2023 showed that of 1,000 companies that said they would leave, only about half fully left. Others just cut back on what they were doing.

By December 2022, only Chinese car makers were still making cars in Russia. In July 2023, Russia took over assets owned by Danish company Carlsberg and French company Danone.

Tax haven

In February 2023, the EU added Russia to its list of places that do not work well with taxes.

Political significance

The economic sanctions placed on Russia show that many countries do not accept Russia's takeover of Crimea. These sanctions help prevent the situation from being seen as permanent. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Western countries imposed strong sanctions on Russian individuals, energy, and high-tech industries to try to change Russia's actions. However, a study found that these sanctions have not yet changed Russia's policies toward Ukraine.

BBC News reported that these sanctions were more than usual and were like an economic war. The goal was to cause Russia's economy to shrink greatly, with possible problems like people rushing to withdraw money from banks and prices rising very fast. Targeting a major global economy in this way was a new and unusual step.

Effects of sanctions

Main article: Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Effects on Russian economy

2014–2021

Russian president Vladimir Putin had accused the United States of working with Saudi Arabia to lower oil prices and hurt the Russian economy. By mid-2016, Russia had lost a lot of money due to financial sanctions, and lost even more from oil and gas sales. Ukrainian officials said the sanctions made Russia change its plans toward Ukraine and hurt Russian military moves in the area. Countries said they would only end sanctions against Russia if it followed the Minsk II agreements.

2022

In April 2022, Russia provided a lot of gas to the EU's gas imports, making $900 million each day. In the first two months after invading Ukraine, Russia made $66.5 billion from selling fossil fuels, with the EU buying 71% of that.

In 2022 the Russian rouble lost value against the US Dollar and Euro because of less trading, as sanctions stopped trading with foreign accounts or currencies. In May 2022, the Russian Central Bank lowered its main rate to help local investments. The trade surplus grew because of high prices for Russian goods and fewer imports. On 27 May 2022, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said extra money from selling natural gas would be used to help older people and families with children, and for special actions in Ukraine. Russia also sold more energy to China and India to replace lost sales in Europe. Bloomberg said that in the first half of 2022, Russia made extra money from selling energy to these countries.

People in Russia faced higher prices, less jobs, expensive loans, limits on money movement, travel bans, and shortages of things. Some experts said conditions were similar to after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia's Kaliningrad area became more isolated. A person close to the Russian government told a news website that many people were unhappy with Putin starting the war without planning for the sanctions. Normal life with these sanctions was very hard.

On 27 June 2022, Bloomberg reported that Russia might not pay its debts for the first time since 1918. Finance Minister Siluanov said this was not true because Russia had enough money. Associated Press said it would take time to know if Russia really defaulted. Financial experts said Russia's situation was special because it had lots of money to pay its debts.

A study from Yale predicts big problems for Russian businesses if Western countries keep sanctions on Russia's petrochemical industry. Western economists expect long-term costs for Russia's economy from big companies leaving and people moving away, while Russia says it has replaced them with local investments. In the long run, Russia's economy will depend on oil and gas prices and staying friends with countries that do not sanction Russia, like China, the Middle East, India, and some nations in Africa and South America.

Russia's economy shrank by 4% in the second quarter of 2022, with big drops in trade and sales. By summer 2022, 47 of the world's 200 biggest companies had not left Russia, especially energy companies. Western experts said these companies faced pressure to give up or sell, but Russia said it was not interested in that. In October 2022, Russia approved a law letting a state company take control of a big oil and gas project from ExxonMobil.

Russia kept selling almost as much oil as before invading Ukraine in 2022. Sales to the Middle East and Asia replaced lost sales to Europe, and because of higher prices, Russia made more money each month than before. Despite sanctions, Russian energy sales went up in value, and Russia found new ways to sell and get paid. According to the Institute of International Finance, "Russia is swimming in cash", making $97 billion from oil and gas sales by July 2022. A former Russian energy leader said the world needed oil and no one was willing to stop buying 7.5 million barrels a day from Russia.

According to a former leader of the Central Bank of Russia Oleg Vyugin, sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine were only 30%-40% effective because Russia found ways around the limits. He said the Russian economy shrank by 4% in 2022 because of sanctions, but this was not a disaster for the Russian Federation. Russia's extra money from trade has grown because of fewer imports, but he warned that stopping Russian exports could hurt its money. He also said the effect of US and European controls on technology would be felt later.

In December 2022, when the European Union stopped buying Russian oil and set a price limit, reports said Russian oil sales dropped by 54% in one week. Russia then sold nearly 90% of its oil to Asia, but at lower prices. Ship owners in Asia were less likely to carry Russian oil after the European sanctions started.

In late 2022, Russia's economy showed it could handle Western sanctions when financial sanctions greatly hurt VTB Bank, the country's second biggest bank. VTB sold another bank to cover its losses. The main bank, Sberbank, was less affected and made money. The central bank helped VTB with money and bonds.

According to Russian numbers, the economy shrank by 2.5% in 2022, which was better than Western experts expected. Both Russia's trade balance and money reserves grew a lot because of fewer imports from Western countries. Because of spending more on the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia had a big loss in money in 2022. Some of the drop in trade with Western Europe was made up by a big trade balance with China, $190 billion in 2022. Russia and its people also bought a lot of gold from banks in 2022. Gold, which went up in value in late 2022 and early 2023, is seen as important for the Russian economy. Russia tried to create a gold-backed way to support its trade because of ongoing sanctions.

2023

Two reports from late 2022 and early 2023 showed that only 8.5% or less than one in ten companies had sold at least one part of their business in Russia. Between different areas, 18% of US companies with parts in Russia left, about 15% of Japanese firms, and only 8.3% of EU firms. Among EU nations, Italian companies were the least likely to leave Russia. Companies involved in getting resources and farming stayed, but also drug companies, which are not sanctioned. In numbers, the 120 companies that left Russia made up only 6.5% of all profits from companies there. Even companies that planned to leave fully had trouble doing it quickly and following sanctions or requests from groups, according to business experts.

From 2022 to 2023, Russian car making fell 67%. Truck making fell 24%. In May 2022, car making dropped 97%, but got better after some changes. Car sales fell 63%.

In March 2023, new looks at the Russian economy were shared. A former Russian Central Bank leader had warned that "Russia's economy is entering a long-term slow down". Western economists also said Russia's ability to handle sanctions was only short-term and that after Europe stopped buying oil and gas in late 2022 and early 2023, Russia would start to slow down. The IMF expects Russia's economic growth to be only 1%, down from 3.5% before 2014, when it took Crimea from Ukraine. Russia's money loss continued into 2023, needing more use of the National Wealth Fund, and economists expected Russia to become more separated from the world. Later that month, Mr. Putin and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping met again to increase working together, especially in high technology and energy. Even though Russia's growth was slow, it made more weapons, as making finished metal things went up by 7% in 2022 because of the conflict in Ukraine. A study of daily data showed that sanctions greatly changed Russian prices, with an average increase of 11.7 percentage points in the Russian Consumer Price Index, though this changed for different products.

In early April 2023, Bloomberg News said Russia's sea oil sales went up because of sanctions on pipeline sales to Western Europe. Ship tracking data showed the nation's sales went up to a new high of 4.13 million barrels a day. Data also shows most sales were below the $60 barrel price limit because Russia gave discounts on Urals oil or the price limit set by Western nations had some effects on reducing Russia's money.

In mid-2023, new numbers showed Russia's economic fall was much less than earlier predicted. The fall in 2022 was 2.1% instead of the double-digit numbers the West expected. Meanwhile, the Russian Central Bank kept its interest rate at 7.5% for June to help more borrowing by the Russian economy that still had a big risk of higher prices. China-Russia trade jumped to $93.8 billion since January 2023, a 75.6% increase, to replace falling trade with countries imposing sanctions. Its economy is now expected to fall only 0.7%. The rouble keeps falling slowly.

The Russian money loss for the five months to May was 3.41 trillion roubles ($41.9 billion) more than the planned loss for the whole year, with oil and gas money down 49% from 2022, spending up 26% and money from not oil and gas up 9%.

Some limits on the effect of sanctions were seen in July 2023, when crude oil prices went up again with some Urals oil selling just above $60 per barrel. The recent drop in oil money was because of lower prices in late 2022 and early 2023, with little sign that Russia's oil sales volume went down.

In late December 2023, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Novak said the country had moved most of its crude oil sales to China and India while still selling 4-5% of its sales to European places. He also said prices around $80–85 (roughly €72-77) per barrel would continue well into 2024. In 2023 about 90% of Russian oil sales went to the two big Asian nations, making almost 9 trillion roubles (roughly $98 billion), about 27% of its GDP. Russia said 40-45% of this was from sales to India, a market expected to grow most quickly for its Asia-Pacific area. At first, E.U. leaders thought Russia's money was much lower because of big discounts and lower prices on the world market, but as India grew better at refining oil and re-selling especially diesel fuel to Europe, this was seen by Western nations as a problem breaking international sanctions to stop Russia's goals during the war in Ukraine. About 57% of Russia's export money is from crude oil sales, and it plans to grow this market to nations in Africa and South America in the coming years. Research has shown that such relationships with other countries greatly reduce losses for Russia while increasing losses for countries imposing sanctions, showing the hard work in keeping effective international sanctions together.

2024

After international sanctions during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China helped Russia's economy. In 2022, China bought 40% of Russia's imports. In 2023, China and Russia's total trade reached a record $240 billion. Russia's use of the Chinese yuan grew a lot after invading Ukraine in 2022. However, by August 2024, most Russian transactions with Chinese banks (especially smaller ones) were closed. Because of strict secondary sanctions, Russia could not exchange money with China. As many as 98% of Chinese banks turned down direct yuan payments from Russia.

In April 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom said they would no longer allow imports of Russian aluminum, copper, and nickel. Because of sanctions, a Russian mining and smelting company Norilsk Nickel planned to move some copper smelting to China and start a joint project with a Chinese company. Finished copper products would be sold as Chinese products to avoid Western sanctions. China has been Norilsk Nickel's biggest buyer since 2023. Nickel is important for electric vehicle batteries and palladium is important for catalytic converters, a part in natural gas vehicles.

By late 2023, Russian LNG sales to Europe started to grow again, and in October 2024, Russia passed the U.S. in supplying this energy to Europe. Even though demand for gas and oil in Western Europe fell because of economic problems, Russia could partly make up for losses because of possible damage to the Nord Stream 1 & 2 pipelines. While Western Europe overall stopped buying Russian energy, the situation is different for Eastern and Central Europe. Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria still rely a lot on Russian gas now coming through Turkey while other European countries with sea access have bought more Russian LNG. Another big reason for choosing Russian gas is its price and the big discount offered by Russian energy sellers. As a result, the U.S. expanded its secondary sanctions to many countries, including India, China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Switzerland, among others.

2025-2026

In late 2025 and early 2026, the Russian economy could get better from selling fossil fuels to Asia, and later from higher energy prices because of the 2026 Iran war. Russia's control of fertilizers is good for its economy, but higher prices for Russian goods did not help the local economy as expected. Attacks by Ukraine using drones were also a main reason for shortages of Russian energy products and other goods.

Effects on US and EU countries

2014-2021

As of 2015, EU losses were estimated at least €100 billion. The German business area, with about 30,000 jobs depending on trade with Russia, also reported big effects from the sanctions. The sanctions affected many European market areas, including energy, farming, and flying among others. In March 2016, the Finnish farmers' group MTK said the Russian sanctions and falling prices put farmers under big pressure. Finland's Natural Resources Institute LUKE estimated that in 2015, farmers' incomes fell by at least 40 percent compared to the year before.

In February 2015, ExxonMobil reported losing about $1 billion because of Russian sanctions.

In 2017, a UN report said EU countries were losing about "3.2 billion dollars a month" because of the sanctions. The report also noted that the sanctions were "meant to stop Russia but risk only stopping the international business community, while hurting only those vulnerable groups who have nothing to do with the crisis" (especially people in Crimea, who "should not pay together for a big political crisis they have no control over").

2022–present

In May 2022, the EU decided to partly stop buying Russian oil, except oil from pipelines to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic until the end of 2022. Crude oil prices jumped again as supplies for fossil fuels stayed tight; the decision by the European Council made worries about already tight energy markets worse. Besides Hungary, which got big exemptions from the oil stop, Italy was also first against such sanctions. The EU oil stop is now putting risk on one of Italy's biggest oil factories, in Sicily's Province of Syracuse.

The bad effects on European countries from economic sanctions against Russia were first thought to not be big compared to the effects on the Russian economy. But after 2022, some economists said Eastern European countries with closer economic ties to Russia (and Ukraine) before the fight, would feel more problems. These 'different effects' might be big, especially for smaller countries with local making, as these international sanctions not only hit the energy industry but also farming, making things, and the financial sector. After the start of the fight in 2022, energy prices shot up, helping cause the 2021/2022 energy crisis. While those energy prices in 2023 fell again and shortages, especially for LNG eased, other things came up, such as big problems with grain exports through the Black Sea corridor, causing a lot of grain in Eastern Europe, lowering prices seriously and endangering local farmers in Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria.

In contrast, economic sanctions against Russia's petrochemical industry have helped the U.S. energy economy, while Europe was hit negatively. Exports of American LNG to Europe more than doubled since 2021. According to the International Energy Agency, US natural gas shipments to Europe in June 2022 were more than what Russia was selling through pipelines. In late 2022, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the US and other "friendly" gas sellers were making money in the Ukraine war with "very high prices". He asked for more help from the US to help energy-strained friends, and to reverse the economic fall in Europe.

According to the Financial Times, European companies lost at least €200 billion in 2022 in Germany alone because of lower profits from sanctions in the car, energy and chemical areas. The German chemical area by itself had a current fall of 25% in 2023, after a smaller fall of 8.5% in 2022.

In September 2023, the Dutch ship company Damen Group started a legal case against the Netherlands government for losses from these measures. The end of contracts from Russian customers greatly affected the business for many ship makers. The money problems for that industry come from cutting ties with its Russian engineering part, according to the statement.

By 2025–2026, Europe’s access to cheap Russian energy ended because of ending pipeline deals, lowering pipeline use to 6%, and a move to expensive U.S. LNG imports. This change caused big cost problems for industry, including a 20% drop in gas use and big falls in German industry output. The 2026 war with Iran further pushed up energy costs in Europe that could not be replaced by costly imports across the ocean.

Effect on global food supply

Further information: 2022 food crises

Western countries have said Russia interfered with wheat exports from Ukraine because of armed fights in Odesa and other Ukrainian ports. Later the Kremlin said the West imposed sanctions on the Russian economy that stopped exports of wheat from Russia. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Russia "a very good grain exporter". During a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Putin said Russia would help overcome the food crisis by exporting grain and fertilizer but mentioned Western sanctions as the problem.

The leader of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, said the side effects of the EU's decision to kick many Russian banks out of SWIFT will hurt African countries' ability to pay for imported food and fertilizers from Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron said the problems had nothing to do with EU sanctions.

On 22 July 2022, the Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed. Helping export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea during the ongoing war has been called "a sign of hope" by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the signing in Istanbul.

On 14 September 2022, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again expressed worry over limited fertilizer supply from Russia because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and sanctions. UN diplomats talked about re-opening the Togliatti-Odesa pipeline carrying ammonia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to do this in exchange for Russia freeing prisoners of war. But TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said "are people and ammonia the same thing?". The pipeline stayed closed.

At the 38th meeting of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Erdogan said over 11 million tonnes of grain had been moved through the Black Sea Grain Corridor since the successful start of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He also noted that opening the grain corridor through the Black Sea showed that a diplomatic answer is possible in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

In July 2023 Russia said no to renewing the Black Sea Grain Initiative which had moved 33 million tonnes of grain and other food on 1,000 ships.

Other effects

Shifting to safe havens

Because of sanctions by the US and the European Union, Russian oligarchs started looking for safe places for their money. Many moved their wealth to countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which could not match Western sanctions. Investigations found many big yachts in Dubai and the Maldives. Private planes owned by these rich people were also seen flying between Moscow and Dubai and Israel. Russian rich people have moved money worth hundreds of millions of dollars from countries like the UK and Switzerland to places that do not put sanctions like the UAE. Russian oligarchs facing sanctions from the West were not just buying houses in the UAE, but looking for long-term living. Experts said these billionaires could use the Emirates' "golden visa" program by investing at least $2.7 million in a local company or investment fund. The golden visa program could let these oligarchs live, work, and study in the UAE with full control of their business.

Moving to safe places also means big gold sales that are now done through the UAE first before going to other places. Because of the easy way to trade gold, and the ability to re-issue gold certificates and gold bullions, it is almost impossible to control the flow of gold from sanctioned groups. Even when gold-rich countries, such as Switzerland followed EU sanctions and no longer buy gold directly from Russia, the trade with such goods actually increased for 2022 and early 2023. Also, both China and Russia had increased their gold reserves a lot, even before fighting between Russia and Ukraine started, pushing up the gold price. As the gold trade became less clear because of sanctions on Russia, the economic effects of such trades are now much harder to guess.

Space

Continuing work together internationally on operating and sending people to the International Space Station (ISS) has been questioned, though Russia has kept doing supply trips and sending crews to the ISS.

Environmental effects

Main article: Environmental impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Scientists say the sanctions could help speed up moving to renewable energy/decarbonization (i.e. because of Russian fossil fuel sanctions and because of more public support for higher energy prices, unconventional energy change efforts and hard energy saving steps).

Europe's stop from Russian fossil fuels led to a push for energy freedom through renewables. For some countries, such as Austria, however, leaving Russian gas has been hard. In 2022/23 Austria imported the same amounts of liquefied gas as before the Russian attack on Ukraine. Hungary also still gets the same amount of gas as before the start of the war but because direct sends from Ukraine stopped in summer 2023, it will import Russian gas through the TurkStream pipeline after October 1, 2023.

Secretary-general of the United Nations António Guterres said that "instead of slowing down the change to a renewable energy future for the global economy, now is the time to speed it up."

Some European leaders have chosen to replace Russian fossil fuel imports with other fossil fuels and small short-time increases in European coal energy use and to help people with high fossil fuel prices.

Economic sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian war have helped a short-time use of coal for energy around the world. High natural gas prices made coal more competitive in many places, and some countries used coal instead to avoid energy cuts in winter 2022/23. With more need for coal in Asia and Europe, world coal use is expected to go up a little in 2022. Burning coal or oil products gives out much more carbon dioxide and air pollutants than natural gas. Using coal again fills the energy gap before moving to cleaner and more sustainable energy sources.

Europe could see a drop in fossil fuel use by 20% in 2023 as a big push has been given to finding and speeding up renewable energy sources and for some EU countries, keeping nuclear power going longer. The drops are in coal and gas use with the EU planning to end coal quickly as planned and now also ending gas.

Enforcement efforts

Countries worked together to make sure the rules against Russia were followed. On February 26, 2022, leaders from places like the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States promised to create a special team. This team would help make sure that people and companies following the rules had their money frozen.

Financial experts from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States also agreed to work together. They wanted to share information and take action against those not following the rules.

The United States used its laws to stop people and companies from doing business with those targeted by the rules. This included freezing their money and stopping any deals with them. One person was arrested for breaking these rules and is waiting to be sent to the United States for trial.

The United States also created special teams to find and take back expensive things owned by people who supported the rules-breaking actions. This included houses, airplanes, and boats. One big boat was taken in Spain because it was linked to someone who was breaking the rules.

Russian counter-sanctions

2014

After some countries placed sanctions on Russia in March 2014, Russia responded by banning certain American and Canadian officials from entering the country. Later in August 2014, Russia placed a ban on importing many foods from the United States, the European Union, Norway, Canada, and Australia. This included fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, milk, and dairy products. The Russian government said these actions were necessary, even though they would have effects on their own economy.

2015

In 2015, Russia continued to ban some politicians and officials from entering the country. This included members from several European countries. Russia also stopped some food products from Latvia and Estonia, saying there were health concerns. These actions showed that Russia was reacting strongly to the sanctions placed on them by other countries.

2016–2021

In June 2016, Russia extended its ban on importing foods from certain countries until the end of 2017. Over time, Russia increased its own production of foods like grain, chicken, pork, and cheese. However, the prices of these foods went up significantly.

2022–2023

In May 2022, Russia created a list of companies and organizations that would be banned from exporting products and raw materials to the country. In July 2023, Russia required companies from certain countries to sell their assets in Russia at lower prices and pay extra taxes.

2024

In June 2024, Russia banned broadcasts from many European Union media outlets in response to the EU banning some Russian media. This included well-known news agencies and newspapers. Russia said the EU was spreading false information, and the EU criticized Russia's actions as unfair.

Russian shadow fleet

Main article: Russian shadow fleet

The Russian shadow fleet is a group of ships that help Russia avoid economic sanctions. These sanctions were put in place after Russia’s actions in 2022. To keep its economy strong, Russia uses these ships to stay involved in global energy markets.

This shadow fleet uses clever tricks to stay hidden and hard to track. For example, foreign companies take over old Russian ships, changing their names and registration to hide them. Many of these ships are registered under countries with loose rules, making it tough to monitor them. These countries often agree to this because they need extra money. Despite efforts to stop these ships, they continue to operate, posing challenges for countries trying to enforce sanctions.