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Akbar Novruz

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The European Union is preparing its 20th sanctions package against Russia, introducing a significant new element: direct measures against Kyrgyzstan for allegedly helping Moscow evade existing restrictions, Azernews reports.

According to Bloomberg, the EU is considering using its anti-circumvention instrument to restrict exports of machine tools and certain radio equipment to Kyrgyzstan. If approved, the move would make Kyrgyzstan the first country in Central Asia and the Caucasus to face EU sanctions over alleged facilitation of Russia’s sanctions evasion.

The discussions are driven by sharp trade anomalies following earlier sanctions on Russia. Bloomberg points to dramatic surges in EU exports to Central Asia, including a reported ten-thousand-percent jump in Estonian exports to Kyrgyzstan, raising concerns that the country has become a transit hub for dual-use goods ultimately destined for Russia.

Beyond Central Asia, the package is expected to expand restrictions on Russian banks, oil companies, and financial institutions, as well as third-country entities accused of assisting Moscow in bypassing sanctions.

A major focus of the new package will also be Russia’s “shadow fleet”—vessels used to transport oil outside international restrictions. The EU is discussing adding more ships to the blacklist and may go further by replacing the current oil price cap with a full ban on Russian oil shipments. France has reportedly pushed for the measures against the shadow fleet to be “particularly tough.”

Additional elements under discussion include tighter controls on Russian mineral fertilisers, which remain among Russia’s most significant exports to the EU, as well as new bans on dual-use goods, restrictions on companies involved in weapons production, and limitations on imports of certain Russian metals.

On January 29, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the bloc aims to approve the 20th sanctions package on February 24, marking another escalation in the EU’s economic pressure campaign against Moscow.