EU expands Russia sanctions lists on 15 June 2026 and prepares a 21st package for banks, crypto and trade

The European Union adopted a new Russia listing package on 15 June 2026 and, separately, is preparing a 21st sanctions package proposed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 9 June 2026. For PSPs, banks, acquirers, and crypto firms, the practical point is simple: more names to screen now, and a broader set of transaction bans, counterparties, and sectors potentially in scope next.

1. The 15 June 2026 listing package adds 47 organisations and 34 individuals to the EU sanctions lists. The newly designated parties are mainly tied to Russia’s military-industrial complex, as well as propaganda and influence structures, with additional designations linked to the export of crude oil and petroleum products. The package also includes several Chinese supplier companies, which shows the EU is not restricting itself to Russian entities.
2. Among the new designations, ten individuals and one organisation were listed for spreading propaganda related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Another ten individuals and one organisation were sanctioned for serious human rights violations within Russia. For compliance teams, that means the screening problem is not just banks and traders; it also includes people and entities sitting around the main sanctions targets.
3. The proposed 21st sanctions package is expected to tighten measures in the energy, financial services, crypto-assets and trade sectors, and it adds a new sanctions area covering fishery and aquaculture products. That is the package still under preparation, but the direction of travel is clear: the EU is widening the perimeter rather than narrowing it.
4. On the financial and crypto side, transaction bans are expected to be extended to an additional 31 Russian banks and 20 banks, crypto firms, crypto platforms and oil traders located in third countries. The stated rationale is cooperation with Russian actors in sanctioned sectors or facilitation of sanctions circumvention. In practice, this is the part PSPs and crypto intermediaries should care about most, because third-country exposure is exactly where “we are not dealing with Russia directly” stops being a useful defence.
5. The shadow fleet regime is also set to expand. The total number of listed vessels could rise to 662, and for the first time vessels providing supporting services to the shadow fleet are expected to be covered as well. The package also points to broader energy-sector restrictions, which matters for payment flows connected to shipping, commodity trading, and service providers around those trades.

For financial institutions, the story here is not just the number of new names. It is the combination of listed persons, banks, crypto platforms, oil traders, vessels, and support services, all of which increases the number of counterparties that need to be screened at onboarding, before settlement, and during ongoing monitoring.