Switzerland adopted the European Union’s 18th sanctions package against Russia, implementing new restrictions that came into effect on 12 August, according to the country’s government press service.
The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research announced that the measures respond to Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, originally approved by the EU on 18 July.
Under the new sanctions, Switzerland added 14 individuals and 41 companies to its blacklists. The targeted entities include “Russian and international firms that manage the ‘shadow fleet’ to circumvent price restrictions on Russian oil, trade it, or supply equipment for the Russian military-industrial complex, including companies from third countries,” the department reported.
The sanctions extend beyond Russian territory, affecting 105 vessels from third countries that are now prohibited from purchase, sale, and servicing. These are “mainly tankers transporting Russian oil or military goods,” according to the announcement.
In a significant economic measure, Switzerland lowered the price ceiling on Russian oil to $47.6 per barrel, with the new limit taking effect from 3 September.
The country also imposed stricter export controls on 26 companies, including those outside Russia, “due to attempts to circumvent the ban on drone supplies,” the government reported.
Beyond Russia-focused measures, Switzerland implemented additional EU sanctions against Moldova and Belarus. Regarding Moldova, “seven individuals and three companies involved in Russia’s attempts to influence the EU membership referendum and the 2024 presidential elections” faced restrictions. For Belarus, limitations were imposed on “eight defense industry companies.”
The sanctions package reflects Switzerland’s continued alignment with EU policy despite its traditional neutrality, as the country maintains its response to what it characterizes as Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine.
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Russia is losing petrodollars. In July 2025, Russia suffered a significant financial blow: oil-related budget revenues dropped by nearly 33% compared to the previous year, according to Bloomberg.
Russia’s oil industry remains under intense pressure from Western sanctions imposed over its full-scale war in Ukraine. The Kremlin is spending billions on warfare, and every drop in oil profits is another blow to its war machine. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is threatening sanctions not only against Moscow but also against its energy partners.
A official Russian Finance Ministry says that the country collected only $8.9 billion in oil-related taxes. Combined oil and gas revenues fell by 27%.
Price spike didn’t save profits from falling
Despite a short-term 71% increase in the price of Russian export oil in July, the first such jump in five months, petrodollars flowing into the budget declined. Global crude prices spiked sharply at that time due to warfare in the Middle East.
Benchmark oil prices, however, have dropped year-on-year, as Trump’s trade policies threaten to slow the global economy while OPEC+ ramps up production faster than expected.
The strengthening of the ruble also contributed to lower revenues, as revaluation means oil companies receive fewer rubles per barrel they pump and sell. In June, the ruble hit its strongest exchange rate in two years: 78.71 per dollar. This means oil and gas companies earn less in rubles for exports. In 2024, they earned 6,127 rubles per barrel, now only 4,711.
Subsidies slashed as budget runs short
However, lower global prices for crude and refined oil products have allowed the government to cut subsidies paid to Russian refineries.
These subsidies partially compensate for the price difference between domestic and export fuel, aiming to boost domestic gasoline and diesel supply. In July, the budget allocated 58% less for this purpose compared to the previous year.
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Some 140 German investigators have conducted large-scale raids at Spinner, a high-precision machine tool manufacturer suspected of knowingly supplying equipment to Russia’s military industry. Three individuals have already been charged with violating sanctions.
In 2023, Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies urged German authorities to halt exports of Spinner’s high-precision machines to Russia via Türkiye. One such CNC machine was reportedly produced for a Russian factory producing high-explosive fragmentation shells for use in Ukraine.
German law enforcement searched Spinner Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik GmbH’s offices in several German cities and abroad. Eight prosecutors were involved in the investigation.
According to the investigation, the company may have knowingly sold 20 machines to Russia for a total of €5.5 million, despite the sanctions.
Sanctions evasion is a criminal offense in the EU
Despite the company’s claims about “compliance systems” and “lack of knowledge” about the end user, investigators say otherwise. Sources indicate the deliveries may have gone through third countries, particularly Turkiye, Bloomberg reports.
“Sanctions enforcement must work like this — with documents, equipment seizures, and court proceedings,” experts say.
Circumventing sanctions is now a criminal offense in the EU, meaning those found guilty could face prison time, not just fines.
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India has started buying American, Canadian, and Middle Eastern oil, but has not abandoned Russian supplies. The country’s giant Indian Oil Corp has recently purchased 7 million barrels of oil, Reuters reports.
Russia remains India’s main oil supplier, accounting for about 35% of total imports. Moscow’s energy exports remain its leading source of profits, which it uses to fund its war against Ukraine.
Indian Oil Corp strengthens supplies from the West and the Middle East
According to the latest findings, India’s largest oil refining company has bought4.5 million barrels of American oil, 500,000 barrels of Canadian Western Canadian Select, and 2 million barrels of Das crude from Abu Dhabi. The delivery is scheduled for September 2025.
These large purchases are connected to the country’s intention to replace Russian oil due to falling discounts and new EU sanctions on Russian energy.
Sanctions pressure and trade risks
Earlier, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India was ready to meet its oil needs from alternative sources if Russia’s supplies are affected by secondary sanctions.
In July, US President Donald Trump stated that countries continuing to buy Russian oil could face 100% tariffs if Moscow does not agree to a peace deal with Ukraine within at first, 50 days and then 10 days.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that due to the new economic measures, countries, including India, could suffer losses if they continue to do business with Moscow.
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Russian oil is stranded at sea. At least four tankers carrying Russian oil are unable to dock near India’s shores due to the threat of sanctions from the US and EU, Bloomberg reports.
India is one of Russia’s main economic partners, after China. Moscow continues to profit from oil supplies to India, accounting for nearly 35% of the country’s imports. Moscow’s energy exports remain its leading source of revenues, which it uses to fund its war against Ukraine.
In mid-July, the EU implemented new sanctions against Russia aimed at cutting its energy revenues. At the same time, US President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened India with high import tariffs and penalties for buying Russian oil.
Earlier, the head of the Indian Oil Corporation, A.S. Sahni, stated that if Russian supplies are restricted, the company will revert to traditional import schemes used before the war in Ukraine, when Moscow’s export to India was lower than 2%.
Sanctioned tankers idle off the Indian coast
Satellite tracking data shows that the tankers Achilles and Elyte, which loaded Urals crude in late June from Primorsk and Ust-Luga, are anchored near the port of Jamnagar, although they were scheduled to arrive in Sikka on 30–31 July. Both vessels are listed under EU and UK sanctions.
Russia streams oil revenues into its missiles and drones to kill Ukrainian civilians. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine documented 232 civilian deaths and 1,343injuries in June 2025, marking the highest monthly casualty toll in three years as Russian forces launched ten times more missile strikes and drone attacks than in June 2024.
Two other tankers — Destan (under sanctions) and Horae (not sanctioned) — are also off the coast, awaiting unloading. Destan was due in Sikka on 24–25 July, while Horae is en route to Vadinar and expected to arrive on 1 August.
The delay of four tankers may signal that the era of consequence-free trade is nearing its end. Even if the tankers eventually reroute or unload, the situation marks a new phase of global pressure on countries doing business with Russia.
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Hungary helps Russia by routing helicopter repairs through Kazakhstan while sourcing spare parts from Moscow, InformNapalm reports. InformNapalm is a volunteer intelligence community known for cyber operations exposing Russian military networks. Their latest release reveals a Hungarian company, Milspace Kft, offering a sanctions workaround for Russia’s Mil Design Bureau — the producer of Mi-series helicopters actively used against Ukrainian troops.
The leak comes amid the ongoing Russian invasion, with Russia under severe international sanctions aimed at crippling its war machine. Yet Russia has devised multiple schemes to evade these restrictions.
Leaked document exposes Hungary’s Milspace Kft in sanction evasion scheme
InformNapalm, working with the Militant Intelligence group, disclosed new data from the OpsHackRussia’sDay cyber operation. The dataset comes from hacked corporate correspondence of Russian defense industry companies. The latest document shows that Milspace Kft sent an official proposal to the Mexican company Personas y Paquetes Por Aire SA de CV. In this letter, Milspace Kft explains that Russian helicopter factories are under sanctions and offers a route to bypass these restrictions.
The leaked letter states:
“The Russian factory in Kazan, Mil Design Bureau and Holding of Russian Helicopters are under sanctions because of Ukrainen (original spelling, – Ed.) war. So, nobody can work with them directly. But we found a solution”
Milspace Kft proposes to act as the formal contractor while repairs would be done in a Kazakhstan plant licensed by Mil Design Bureau.
“Our Milspace is authorized organization of licensed by Mil Design Bureau repairing plant in Kazahstan. We are ready to participate in process of overhaul for your helicopters,” the leaked letter reads.
Spare parts would come from Moscow, specifically from Mi-INTER Ltd. The work would be supervised and coordinated with Mil Design Bureau and Russian Helicopters, both parts of Rostec, a large Russian state-owned conglomerate.
“Every of these organizations ready to participate in our repairing process, so the start was made successfully,” the document states.
In June, InformNapalm and the Militant Intelligence group exposed a trove of hacked documents from JSC Russian Helicopters, revealing its global sanction evasion network, with international contracts, supply routes, and payments linking the sanctioned manufacturer to partners and intermediaries from India to Egypt, Algeria, Indonesia, and beyond.
Evidence links Hungary to Russian helicopter support
InformNapalm reports that this letter details a service package worth $92,000. The plan includes a team of four “to carry out troubleshooting work on airframe and helicopters under a separate contract.”
The leaked correspondence shows that Hungary helps Russia through these indirect arrangements, even as the EU and NATO enforce sanctions.
Leaked letter from Hungarian company Milspace Kft to a Mexican firm describes a plan to bypass sanctions by repairing Russian helicopters through a plant in Kazakhstan with spare parts from Moscow. Source: Inform Napalm.
“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has consistently shown loyalty to the Kremlin, delaying EU sanctions and blocking military aid to Ukraine through NATO and EU structures. Therefore, Milspace Kft’s involvement in these operations aligns with Budapest’s geopolitical position, which often conflicts with the core interests of both the EU and NATO,” Inform Napalm says.
Risks for EU and NATO security
InformNapalm warns that Hungary’s involvement undermines NATO collective security. The practice ensures that sanctioned Russian helicopters remain operational, despite restrictions. This leak also highlights a broader pattern of using Kazakhstan as a hub for maintaining Russian equipment, similar to previous findings from the #SU30Leaks series.
Hacktivists call on journalists and European officials to investigate these sanction evasion networks before they grow further. They note that more documents from the OpsHackRussiasDay operation will follow.
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Dozens of parliamentarians from various countries staged a coordinated walkout during a speech by Russian Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko at the World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments in Switzerland on 30 July.
Switzerland has condemned Russia’s invasion and adopted nearly all EU sanctions while providing over CHF5 billion ($6,1 billion) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine by mid-2025. But the country draws a hard line at military support—refusing to send weapons or allow re-export of Swiss-made arms due to its centuries-old neutrality tradition. Critics argue Switzerland enforces sanctions inconsistently and clings too rigidly to neutrality when lives are at stake.
Why the mass walkout? According to Ukrainian Parliament Vice-Speaker Olena Kondratiuk, it sent a clear message about Russian aggression.
“This is a walkout against the aggressor,” Kondratiuk said, describing tears in her eyes as she watched international colleagues leave.
The half-empty hall, she argued, showed exactly how democratic parliaments view Russia.
Czech Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova also made her reasoning explicit. She refused to be “a prop in the lies on which the criminal Kremlin regime is based.”
“She herself bears personal responsibility for the crime of aggression and all subsequent Russian atrocities after publicly approving the use of armed forces on Ukrainian territory,” Adamova wrote.
Better to spend time with colleagues “who support Ukraine in its fight for freedom and democracy,” she added.
But why was Matvienko allowed into Geneva at all? Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry had called her conference participation “disgraceful.” Spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi put it bluntly: her place should be “in the dock, not at international conferences.”
Here’s the problem: Matvienko appears on EU sanctions lists related to Russia’s invasion. So does much of the Russian delegation. Switzerland honors these sanctions—with one exception. The country permits sanctioned individuals to enter when visiting international organizations based there.
Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, addressed international parliamentarians in Geneva on 28 July despite being sanctioned.
What had Matvienko been saying? Two days earlier, she invited international parliamentarians to visit occupied Ukrainianterritories and see the “Alley of Angels.” This is a memorial in Donetsk that Russian forces erected allegedly commemorating children killed by Ukrainian forces in the conflict, which is considered a Russian propaganda narrative as there is no independent proof and convincing evidence.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Security Service charged Matvienko in absentia in 2024 under multiple articles. According to investigators, she signed parliamentary decisions authorizing Russian troop deployment in Ukraine. She also approved ratification agreements for annexing occupied Ukrainian territories. She faces additional charges including incitement to wage aggressive war, for which Ukraine plans to prosecute her at a Special Tribunal.
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Ukrainian Security Service long-range drones struck the Signal plant in Russian Stavropol on 26 July, targeting one of Russia’s largest radio electronics manufacturers, hromadske reported, citing a source in the Security Forces.
One of the strikes reportedly hit building No. 2 (workshop No. 5), where” expensive imported equipment is located — machine tools based on numerical program control,” the source told hromadske.
The second strike was recorded in building No. 1, which houses workshop No. 17 for radio electronic devices.
The Signal plant specializes in producing various types of electronic warfare systems, radar, radio navigation equipment, and remote control radio equipment for Russia’s military-industrial complex. The facility operates under international sanctions.
The targeted workshops house critical infrastructure for military production: from imported machinery with numerical program control systems to radio electronic devices essential for military communications and navigation systems.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting 54 unmanned aircraft overnight on 26 July across five oblasts, as well as over temporarily occupied Crimea and the Azov and Black Seas. By morning, Russian forces claimed to have downed six additional drones over North Ossetia and Moscow Oblast.
The attack represents a significant strike on Russia’s defense manufacturing capabilities, targeting a facility that produces electronic warfare equipment and radar systems used by Russian forces.
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Ukraine has synchronized its sanctions against Russia with the last three packages of economic penalties imposed by the European Union, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 8.
"Three more packages of EU sanctions are fully effective in Ukraine," Zelensky said in his evening address.
Earlier on July 8, the president announced a new round of sanctions, including restrictions on five Chinese-registered companies accused of supplying components found in Russian Shahed-type drones used to attack Ukraine.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Zelensky's sanctions commissioner, told reporters on July 8 that the latest decrees bring Ukrainian penalties in line with the EU's 15th, 16th, and 17th packages of sanctions against Russia.
The 15th package targets individuals from Russia, Belarus, and China, among other countries, according to Vlasiuk. It includes the Russian pilot Alexander Azarenkov, who was involved in the deadly attack on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv. Zelensky signed the sanctions decree on the one-year anniversary of the strike.
The 16th package includes individuals from Russia, China, Turkey, and other nations. It also targets the Voin Center, Russia's military-patriotic education organization operating in occupied Ukrainian territories, and Pivdennyi Flot LLC, which transports Russian oil via its "shadow fleet," Vlasiuk said.
The 17th package designates firms from Russia, China, Turkey, and other countries, including the gold-mining company Petropavlovsk and the Chinese company Skywalker Technology Co. Ltd, produce drone parts for Russia.
The EU is expected to approve its 18th package of sanctions against Russia later this week, after facing opposition from pro-Kremlin bloc members Slovakia and Hungary.
Ukraine has taken measures to coordinate sanctions with international partners in order to amplify pressure on Moscow. Zelensky on June 27 signed a decree to synchronize Ukraine's sanctions against Russia with those imposed by the EU and Group of Seven (G7).
After failing to approve 18th package of sanctions against Russia due to opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, EU countries are expected to finalize an agreement this week, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said on July 7.
Since EU sanctions require unanimous approval, a single veto could prevent implementation. In late June, EU ambassadors did not approve the sanctions package because of objections from Budapest and Bratislava.
"According to my information, European countries will still reach an agreement this week on the 18th package of sanctions, together with Slovakia and Hungary," she told Ukrainian broadcaster ICTV.
The delay followed earlier signs of resistance from both governments, despite the package being introduced shortly after the previous round of sanctions took effect on May 20.
"It is noteworthy that during the previous period, when the decision on the 17th package was being made, Hungary did not vote for this decision until the last day," Stefanishyna said.
"There was even almost a day when these sanctions were not put into effect."
Unlike Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has consistently opposed sanctions and military aid for Ukraine, Slovakia has not previously attempted to block new EU measures.
Bratislava requested a delay in adopting the latest package until the bloc clarifies the financial implications of RePowerEU — an initiative to end reliance on Russian fossil fuels by 2030.
"Without radical political leadership in the European Union, it will be very difficult," Stefanishyna said, warning of future veto threats by individual member states.
The 18th package includes new restrictions targeting Russia's energy and banking sectors, as well as transactions linked to the Nord Stream pipeline project.
These measures are part of a broader European effort to tighten pressure on Moscow as it continues to reject calls for an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine.
While the EU pushes forward with additional restrictions, the United States has not imposed new sanctions on Russia since President Donald Trump took office in January.
Editor's note: The story was updated with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's statement voiced during the EU summit.
EU ambassadors have failed to approve the 18th package of sanctions against Russia due to opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, an unnamed EU official told the Kyiv Independent on June 27.
After the 17th package of sanctions against Russia took effect on May 20, Ukraine's allies announced the following day that another round of restrictions was already in the works. Meanwhile, officials in Hungary and Slovakia protested against the approval of new restrictions against Russia.
Unlike Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has consistently opposed sanctions against Russia, Slovakia has not previously attempted to block EU sanctions.
"No agreement was reached. Ambassadors will return to this issue after two reservations are removed," the source told Suspilne in a reference to the position of Slovakia and Hungary.
Slovakia has requested that the adoption of the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia be postponed until a decision is made on the consequences for the member states from RePowerEU, the European Commission's initiative to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2030 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico voiced this proposal during the EU summit, the Slovak Foreign Ministry told Suspilne.
The ambassadors also agreed to extend sectoral sanctions against Russia for six months. These sanctions encompass a broad array of economic areas, including restrictions on trade, finance, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport, and luxury goods.
In June, the European Commission presented the 18th package of sanctions, which includes new restrictions against the Russian energy and banking sectors and transactions related to the Nord Stream gas pipeline project.
Ukraine's European allies are tightening sanctions against Russia as Moscow refuses to accept a ceasefire. Despite Russia's refusal, no new U.S. sanctions have been imposed so far.
Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
The European Union on June 26 reached an agreement to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months, an undisclosed EU official told the Kyiv Independent.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the agreement shortly afterwards in a joint press conference alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa at the EU summit in Brussels.
The EU made the decision on June 26 to extend its current sanctions against Russia for six more months, Tusk said.
"We still have a decision about the 18th sanctions package ahead of us," he added.
The EU votes to renew its sectoral sanctions against Russia every six months in January and July. Sanctions encompass a broad array of economic areas, including restrictions on trade, finance, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport, and luxury goods.
The latest agreement comes amid fears that Hungary, one of the bloc's most Kremlin-friendly member states, would attempt to block the extension. Hungary has repeatedly threatened to use its veto power to obstruct the sanctions process.
The European bloc first adopted sanctions related to Russian aggression on July 31, 2014, after Moscow occupied Crimea and invaded Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. The EU has significantly scaled up its sanctions measures in the wake of the full-scale invasion, adopting 17 major sanctions packages since February 2022.
The EU on June 10 unveiled its 18th package of sanctions against Russia, expanding current measures to include new restrictions on energy, banking, oil, and other sectors. The initial proposal included banning transactions involving the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines and reducing the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel.
Soon after the package was announced, however, the EU reportedly postponed the effort to reduce the oil price cap.
The 18th round of sanctions is currently under debate. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, another Moscow-friendly European leader, has threatened to veto the package. Slovakia has not previously attempted to block EU sanctions against Russia.
The Group of Seven (G7) nations need to impose harsher sanctions on Moscow in order to secure a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said at the start of the G7 summit in Canada.
The G7 Leaders Summit kicked off on June 15 in Kananaskis, Canada, with official talks held June 16-17. While Ukraine hopes to win economic support and unified pressure against Russia, the rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and Iran may dominate this year's conference.
"To achieve peaceful strength we must put more pressure on Russia to secure a real ceasefire, to bring Russia to the negotiating table, and to end this war. Sanctions are critical to that end," von der Leyen said at a press briefing on June 15 attended by a Kyiv Independent journalist.
Economic sanctions have been an effective intervention since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, von der Leyen said. She noted that combined G7 and European Union sanctions have decreased Russian oil and gas revenues by nearly 80% since February 2022.
"(T)he sanctions are working, and we will do more," she said.
Von der Leyen urged the G7 to adapt the economic restrictions proposed in the EU's 18th sanctions package, announced on June 10. The new measures target Russia's energy and banking sectors and propose a further reduction in the oil price cap, bringing the cap down from $60 to $45 per barrel.
"I will invite all G7 partners to join us in this endeavor," she said.
Costa echoed the call for sanctions and the necessity of economic pressure in order to achieve a ceasefire. Europe is committed to "increasing additional sanctions to cripple (Russia's) ability to wage war and pressing for an unconditional ceasefire," he said.
Europe's call for unity may meet with resistance from the United States, which has assumed a dramatically different posture towards Ukraine and Russia since President Donald Trump took office in January. Trump has not imposed any new sanctions against Russia, even Moscow blatantly obstructs peace efforts and escalates mass strikes against Ukrainian cities.
The U.S. also reportedly opposes lowering the G7 oil price cap — a measure first introduced in December 2022 that prohibits Western companies from shipping, insuring, or otherwise servicing Russian oil sold above $60 per barrel.
The price cap debate has become more urgent as oil prices, which had fallen below the $60 cap in recent months, surged following Israel's recent strikes against Iran.
Despite U.S. resistance, the EU and the United Kingdom — backed by other European G7 countries and Canada — have said they are prepared to move forward with the proposal, even without Washington's endorsement.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the other hand, has said the EU sanctions and proposed price cap drop don't go far enough. Zelensky on June 11 said the EU's 18th round of sanctions "could be stronger" and proposed further slashing the oil price cap to $30 per barrel.
"A ceiling of $45 per barrel of oil is better than $60, that's clear, that's true. But real peace will come with a ceiling of $30," he said. "That's the level that will really change the mindset in Moscow."
Zelensky and Trump are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit on June 17. The meeting will mark their third in-person encounter since Trump took office.
Russia is exploiting automatic medical exemptions in EU sanctions regulations to import dual-use goods for its military, Lithuania's Deputy Foreign Minister Gabija Grigaite-Daugirde told Bloomberg on June 12.
According to Grigaite-Daugirde, Lithuanian customs authorities blocked 28,854 goods in 2024 that were allegedly destined for Russia and Belarus "under the guise of medical exemption."
Many of the flagged shipments contained parts for motor vehicles, refrigerators, copiers, and microelectronics — all of which can have military applications.
"We have witnessed parts for motor vehicles, refrigerators, copying machines, and other types of microelectronics being exported directly to Russia, claiming that these are bound for medical use," she said.
Under current EU rules, medical exemptions are automatically granted, leaving customs authorities to investigate the shipments retroactively. Lithuania has called for reforms allowing exporters to apply for exemptions before shipments are approved.
"Leaving automatic exemptions from sanctions for medical goods is like closing a door but leaving a keyhole," Grigaite-Daugirde said. "Russia definitely finds a way to pass."
As Moscow shifts to a wartime economy and seeks Western-made technology for its arms production, its efforts to circumvent sanctions have grown "desperate," she added.
Lithuania, a key EU and NATO member bordering both Belarus and Russia's heavily militarized Kaliningrad exclave, has taken a hardline stance on enforcement and regularly pushes for tougher sanctions within the bloc.
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