EU – The European Union is preparing another sanctions package against Russia – this time targeting cryptocurrencies. According to information from the Financial Times, Brussels wants to ban all cryptocurrency transactions with Russia as part of the 20th sanctions package and close the loopholes that, according to EU officials, have enabled circumvention of existing restrictions. However, experts warn that completely cutting Russia off from crypto could be technically extremely difficult.
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What exactly is the EU planning?
The new sanctions package is to be adopted on February 24. According to a draft cited by Financial Times, the European Commission wants to ban cooperation with any crypto asset service provider based in Russia and simultaneously prevent the use of platforms that enable the transfer or exchange of cryptocurrencies linked to Russian entities.
An internal Commission document reveals that the previous approach – sanctioning individual companies – is insufficient. When a specific service provider is placed on the sanctions list, a new entity often emerges to take over its activities. Brussels is therefore now seeking to comprehensively close all Russian crypto channels.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also announced that the package will affect 20 additional Russian regional banks and several banks in third countries.
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Sanctions to affect banks outside Russia
According to Reuters, the EU proposes to sanction, for example, Kyrgyz banks Keremet and OJSC Capital Bank of Central Asia, as well as selected banks in Laos and Tajikistan. If the measures are approved, these institutions will not be able to conduct business with persons and companies from the EU.
The goal is to prevent Russia from using foreign financial institutions as intermediaries in money transfers – including cryptocurrency transactions.
In the spotlight: stablecoin A7A5
New sanctions could also target the Russian payment platform A7 and its stablecoin A7A5, which is pegged to the ruble. In 2025, this token ranked among the fastest-growing stablecoins outside the dollar ecosystem – at least according to data from CoinMarketCap and DefiLlama.
The operator of the A7 platform denies accusations of circumventing sanctions and characterizes them as politically motivated.
However, blockchain analytics firm Global Ledger has flagged suspicious trading patterns that may indicate wash trading – artificially inflating trading volumes to create an impression of high demand. If these suspicions were confirmed, it could mean that actual interest in the A7A5 token is lower than public data suggests.
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Can cryptocurrencies really be “switched off”?
This is precisely where opinions diverge. Global Ledger co-founder and CEO Lex Fisun pointed out that the EU, in his view, underestimates how decentralized liquidity works.
Holders of tokens like A7A5 can exchange their funds through decentralized on-chain liquidity pools for globally traded stablecoins without having to use centralized exchanges with strict controls. Once cryptocurrencies reach large global liquidity nodes or international exchanges, tracking them becomes increasingly difficult.
According to Fisun, sanctions can effectively cut Russian entities off from regulated European platforms, but decentralized infrastructure remains resistant to direct censorship. Complete technical blockade is therefore unlikely in his view.
Russia tightens its own rules in the meantime
While the EU is cracking down, Russia is simultaneously developing its own legislation on digital assets. This week, the Russian parliament approved in its third reading a law that establishes procedures for freezing and confiscating digital currencies.
This suggests that cryptocurrencies are playing an increasingly significant role not only in international sanctions games but also in domestic regulation.
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What does this mean for ordinary investors?
For ordinary cryptocurrency holders in the EU, probably nothing dramatic changes – provided they don’t trade with Russian platforms or entities. However, the new measures demonstrate that the cryptocurrency sector is increasingly part of geopolitical disputes.
At the same time, an old truth is confirmed: even though cryptocurrencies are often presented as decentralized and “unstoppable,” their large-scale use runs up against regulation, the banking system, and international politics.
The question remains whether the European Union will succeed in actually closing cryptocurrency loopholes, or whether new pathways will simply open that will be even harder to control.
