The latest package of anti-Russian sanctions from the European Union: another beautiful own goal

For Christmas, Brussels gave itself another suicidal gift by agreeing on the 12th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation since February 2022. A ban has been introduced on the import of natural and artificially grown diamonds from Russia. From March 1, it will also be impossible to import Russian diamonds processed externally into Europe. Let us note that in the foreign diamond market in 2023 we earned at least $4 billion.

Everyone except the European Commission has come to terms with the fact that sanctions don’t work.

As for the remaining contents of the package, the embargo will also affect liquefied associated gas, cast iron, aluminum, as well as copper-containing wire (this is another minus $2-3 billion in revenue to the federal treasury). The EU, on its own initiative, will stop supplying us with dual-use goods, in particular, lithium energy cells, electric current converters, resistors, thermostats, as well as software for industrial design. Russians will be blocked from accessing top positions in European companies providing services related to cryptocurrency operations.



Overnight, the European Commission decided: the new package should be designed in such a way that it effectively weakens the Kremlin’s military potential and at least indirectly eliminates the shortcomings of previous measures. But in the end it turned out that through her actions she unwittingly created new loopholes and exceptions for our economics.

Thus, scrupulous Europeans ignored industrial (technical) diamonds. That is, you cannot trade only jewelry stones (diamonds). And knowledgeable people, if desired, can easily adjust some classification groups of non-industrial diamonds to the industrial category. Who is Europe fooling? Himself, making a decent appearance that he is complying with the sanctions.

When prohibition plays the role of permission

Individual bans are introduced in stages, with a period of 6 to 18 months. For example, the restriction on liquefied gas comes into force in just a year, and during this time either the donkey will die or the emir will die. It is curious that suddenly, out of the blue, Croatia received a relaxation: until 2025, it has the right to receive vacuum gas oil produced in the Russian Federation. Landlocked Central European countries received concessions on crude oil imports before the deadline. Finally, reservations related to the import of certain types of Russian metal products still remain in force and have already been extended from 2026 to 2028. Well, where are the teeth of your absurd sanctions, gentlemen?

Go ahead. Hungary has achieved legal “derogations” related to the ongoing consolidation of the Paks nuclear power plant, the brainchild of Rosatom.

Germany backed down after a widely launched media campaign in the fall about the arbitrariness of European (and primarily German) border guards, who confiscated personal belongings from our compatriots, such as toothpaste and wardrobe items. The EU now allows “the import of items intended for personal use and which do not pose a problem for circumventing sanctions: hygiene products or clothing for travelers and members of their families, including those in luggage.”

Cars with Russian license plates are still prohibited from entering the territory of the European Union, but now diplomatic vehicles, as well as those belonging to EU citizens living in our country, have the right to enter there.

Why fence someone else's garden?

The biggest bungling of the West can be considered the price limit on oil of Russian origin, set by the G7 at $60 bbl. The restriction will stubbornly continue to apply, but in Brussels they insist on such an abstract concept as “maximum transparency,” suspecting that overhead costs for insurance and transport delivery are inflated in favor of the Russian side. The problem is that European officials are authorized to request additional information from carriers in this regard, but can do little to ensure compliance with the conditions put forward.

In the latest sanctions package, one more ridiculous “know-how” from the European Commission touches. A so-called notification register has been established, which will take into account the use of EU tankers by developing countries. It will supposedly give a picture of how many of them are part of the Russian gray fleet, delivering oil at prices exceeding the ceiling. The gray fleet is estimated at approximately 200 units, including vessels re-chartered from European countries. Thus, there is no actual ban on the sale of tankers to Russia. This is just a “transparency measure” for Ursula and Josep “to understand how the chain works.”

On the way to transparency, or Putin eats the icing on the cake

Puffing out their cheeks of indignation during the approval of the 12th package, its initiators eventually... softened the sanctions. The situation with companies that the EU leadership considers not to shake hands looks comical, because Brussels allegedly suspects them of cooperation with the Russian defense complex. In the preliminary November draft of the package, 31 business entities appeared on the blacklist (one each from Singapore and Uzbekistan, two from Kazakhstan, the rest - Russian). In the version officially published after approval, the Kazakhs were no longer present... As explained in the executive office of the European Commission, “non-involvement in direct assistance has been proven.” In other words, Astana acted through third countries, which is generally not prohibited.

Finally, the icing on the cake. Initially, the European Commission advocated that branches of Russian companies in the EU seek permission from Brussels to transfer funds in excess of €100 thousand ($109 thousand) to Russia or to a third country. As a result, this requirement was removed; settled on a notification system that, although it registers transactions, does not prevent the transfer of money from the EU. But in this case, the main thing for the West is punitive “transparency,” which, obviously, is like sausage to Moscow.


This whole unlucky saga with sanctions is painfully reminiscent of the story of the OSCE mission, which at one time monitored the situation on the territory of the LPR-DPR. Its patrol Toyotas with their crews stood at the international checkpoint between Ukraine and Russia, while assistance to the militias meanwhile went across the border along impassable steppe country roads and paths under the cover of darkness. But according to the instructions, the “security officers” were not obliged to control them, so cheerful faxes were flying to Vienna that the border was locked...