EU Adopts 21st Sanctions Package Against Russia — Largest Listings Round in Four Years

The Council of the EU adopted its 21st package of sanctions against Russia, targeting the energy, financial services and crypto sectors. The package designates 218 individuals and entities (48 individuals, 170 entities) — the largest single listings round in four years — and imposes transaction bans on 33 Russian banks plus banks in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, India and Nigeria and five UAE oil traders (effective August 13), and on 11 crypto-asset service providers (effective August 23). Two Russian ports (Olya, Vysotsk) and four airports (Sheremetyevo, Ulyanovsk-Vostochny, Rostov-on-Don Platov, Mineralnye Vody) are designated from July 24, and further shadow-fleet vessels are added to the port-access ban list. The package also freezes the Russian oil price cap for 12 months and grants Greece a one-year renewable exemption allowing its shipping firms to keep transporting Russian LNG to third countries.