The European Union announced a new package of sanctions against Russia that reinforces restrictions on the use of cryptocurrencies and digital financial tools. The measures, published on April 23, 2026, establish a sectoral ban on suppliers and platforms linked to Russia, as well as specific limitations on the development and use of the digital ruble and certain stablecoins.
The decision reply to the growing evidence that Russia has increased the use of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and alternative financial networks to avoid international sanctions. According to the official statement, these structures include mechanisms linked to the SPFS financial messaging system and the participation of actors in third countries that facilitate transactions outside the traditional financial system.
In this context, the package introduces broad ban on cryptocurrency service providers (CASPs) and decentralized finance platforms (DeFi) associated with Russia. Likewise, restrictions are established on the use, development and support of the digital ruble – a central bank digital currency in development – and the RUBx stablecoin within the European environment.
The financial measures They also include sanctions on 20 additional Russian bankswhich brings to 70 the total number of entities excluded from access to the European Union financial market. At the same time, restrictions are extended to financial institutions in third countries connected to the SPFS system, indicated as an alternative way to process international payments.
Scope extends to DeFi and stablecoins
The package too includes measures aimed at the ecosystem of financial intermediaries. Among them are mention to the TengriCoin platform for its alleged role in digital asset flows linked to Russia. Additionally, European Union citizens and companies are prohibited from interacting with Russian and Belarusian cryptocurrency services under the MiCA regulatory framework.
Another notable element is identifying stablecoins used in evasion schemes. According to the data cited, assets such as A7A5, a stablecoin linked to the ruble and used as a settlement instrument in sanctions environments, would have processed volumes exceeding $119.7 billion.
This type of asset works as an intermediate layer for facilitate transfers between sanctioned entities and the global financial system, reducing dependence on traditional banking channels, as reported by CriptoNoticias.
The scope of the measures also extends to decentralized infrastructure, which expands the regulatory spectrum beyond traditional intermediaries. This inclusion has generated debate about the applicability of sanctions in environments without intermediaries, where the execution of restrictions is more complex and can have indirect effects on users not linked to the sanctioned activities.