Council Regulation (EU) 2025/2033 of 23 October 2025 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine

‘3e By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, the competent authorities may authorise the purchase, import or transfer of goods falling under CN codes 7007, 7019, 8424 10 00, 8479, 8481, 8483, 8487, 8504, 8516 29 50, 8517, 8525, 8531, 8536, 8537, 8538, 8539, 8542, 8543, and 8603, as listed in Annex XXI, or the provision of related technical and financial assistance, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that to do so is necessary for the operation, maintenance or repair of Budapest metro line 3 cars delivered in 2018, in execution of the service life guarantee provided by Metrowagonmash prior to 24 June 2023.’

‘3bb With regard to the goods falling under CN code 2901 10 00, the prohibitions in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the execution until 25 January 2026 of contracts concluded before 24 October 2025, or of ancillary contracts necessary for the execution of such contracts.

3bc As of 26 January 2026 until 25 July 2026, the prohibitions in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the purchase or import to Hungary of goods falling under CN code 2901 10 00 originating in Russia or exported from Russia, provided that the goods are intended for exclusive use in Hungary.

3bd Goods falling under CN code 2901 10 00 imported to Hungary following the exemption in paragraph 3bc shall not be sold on to buyers located in another Member State or in a third country.’

‘3g By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, the competent authorities may authorise the purchase, import or transfer of goods falling under CN code 8539 49, as listed in Annex XXI, or the provision of related technical and financial assistance, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that to do so is necessary for the operation, maintenance or repair of ultra-violet (UV) lamps used for the disinfection of drinking water in the absence of a supplier of equivalent UV lamps and related goods outside of Russia.’

‘6 The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraphs 3ab, 3c, 3e or 3g within two weeks of the authorisation.’

‘3aj With regard to the goods falling under the CN codes listed in Annex XXIIIG, the prohibitions in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the execution until 25 January 2026 of contracts concluded before 24 October 2025, or of ancillary contracts necessary for the execution of such contracts.

3ak With regard to the goods falling under CN codes 6902 and 6909 19, the prohibitions in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the execution until 25 April 2026 of contracts concluded before 24 October 2025, or of ancillary contracts necessary for the execution of such contracts.’

1 It shall be prohibited, as of 25 April 2026, to purchase, import or transfer, directly or indirectly, liquified natural gas falling under CN code 2711 11 00, if it originates in Russia or is exported from Russia.

2 Paragraph 1 shall apply as of 1 January 2027 in case the purchase, import or transfer is executed under a contract for the supply of liquified natural gas, excluding a natural gas derivative, the duration of which contract exceeds one year and which contract was concluded before 17 June 2025 and where that contract was not amended thereafter, unless the amendment is limited to: (a) lowering contracted quantities; (b) lowering prices and fees; (c) amending confidentiality clauses; (d) amending operational procedures, such as communication procedures; (e) changes of addresses of contract parties; (f) transfers of contractual obligations between affiliated undertakings; (g) changes required by judicial or arbitration procedures or, (h) for landlocked countries, changes between national delivery points.

3 It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance, brokering services, financing or financial assistance or any other services related to the prohibition in paragraph 1.

4 In accordance with Articles 13 and 14, the prohibitions in paragraphs 1 and 3 shall be complied with regardless of any provision pursuant to other Union legislation with overlapping scope.’

1 It shall be prohibited to: (a) acquire any new or extend any existing participation in ownership or control of any legal person, entity or body which is registered as a resident of, or whose registered office, principal place of business, or permanent establishment is located within, the special economic, innovation or preferential zones of the Russian Federation listed in Part A or B of Annex LII; (b) create any new joint venture, branch, or representative office in the special economic, innovation or preferential zones listed in Part A or B of Annex LII, or with a legal person, entity or body referred to in point (a); (c) enter into any new contract or arrangement for the supply of goods or services, or of related intellectual property rights or trade secrets to, from, or for use in the special economic, innovation or preferential zones listed in Part A or B of Annex LII, or with a legal person, entity or body referred to in point (a).

2 It shall be prohibited, as of 25 January 2026, to: (a) maintain any existing participation in ownership or control of any legal person, entity or body which is formally registered as a resident of, or the registered office, principal place of business, or permanent establishment of which is located within, the special economic, innovation or preferential zones of the Russian Federation listed in Part A of Annex LII; (b) maintain any existing joint venture, branch, or representative office in the special economic, innovation or preferential zones listed in Part A of Annex LII, or with a legal person, entity or body referred to in point (a); (c) maintain any existing contract or arrangement for the supply of goods or services, or of related intellectual property rights or trade secrets to, from, or for use in the special economic, innovation or preferential zones listed in Part A of Annex LII, or with a legal person, entity or body referred to in point (a).

3 It shall be prohibited to: (a) grant, or be part of any arrangement to grant, any loan or credit or otherwise provide financing, including equity capital, to a legal person, entity or body referred to in paragraph 1 or 2, or for the documented purpose of financing such a legal person, entity or body; (b) provide investment services directly related to the activities referred to in point (a) or in paragraph 1 or 2.

4 The prohibitions in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall also apply to any legal person, entity or body outside the special economic, innovation or preferential zones listed in Annex LII that is owned or controlled by a legal person, entity or body referred to in paragraph 1 or 2.

5 Paragraphs 1 to 4 shall not apply to: (a) activities necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters; (b) activities strictly necessary for the direct or indirect purchase, import or transport of natural gas, titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium or iron ore from or through Russia into the Union, a country member of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the Western Balkans; (c) unless prohibited under Article 3m or 3n, activities strictly necessary for the direct or indirect purchase, import or transport of oil, including refined petroleum products, from or through Russia; (d) activities necessary for the purchase, import or transfer of seaborne crude oil and of petroleum products listed in Annex XXV where those goods originate in a third country and are only being loaded in, departing from or transiting through Russia, provided that both the origin and the owner of those goods are non-Russian.

6 Paragraphs 1 and 3 and, where otherwise applicable, paragraph 4, shall not apply to the execution until 25 January 2026 of contracts concluded before 24 October 2025, or of ancillary contracts necessary for the execution of such contracts.

7 By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 to 4, the competent authorities may authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, activities which are strictly necessary for: (a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations; (b) research, development or manufacturing of pharmaceutical, medical, agricultural or food products, including wheat and fertilisers the import, purchase and transport of which is allowed under this Regulation; (c) ensuring access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgement or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, if such transactions are consistent with the objectives of this Regulation and those of Regulation (EU) No 269/2014; (d) divestment and withdrawal from Russia or the wind-down of business activities in Russia; (e) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Russia, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Russia and the Union, and between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union.’

It shall be prohibited to engage, directly or indirectly, in any transaction involving the crypto-assets listed in Annex LIII.’

1 It shall be prohibited to provide, directly or indirectly, the following services to the Government of Russia or to legal persons, entities or bodies established in Russia: (a) legal advisory services; (b) accounting, auditing, including statutory audit, bookkeeping, tax consulting and business and management consulting, or public relations services; (c) construction, architectural, engineering, integrated engineering, urban planning, engineering-related scientific and technical consulting or technical testing and analysis services; (d) advertising, market research or public opinion polling services; (e) IT consultancy services; (f) commercial space-based services consisting of Earth observation or satellite navigation; (g) artificial intelligence services consisting of access to models or to platforms for their training, fine-tuning and inference; (h) high-performance computing, including access to graphic processing unit -accelerated computing, or quantum computing services.

2 It shall be prohibited to provide services directly related to tourism activities in Russia.

3 It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer, export or provide, directly or indirectly, software for the management of enterprises, software for industrial design and manufacture and software with certain uses in the banking and financial sector, as listed in Annex XXXIX, to the Government of Russia or to legal persons, entities or bodies established in Russia.

3a It shall be prohibited to: (a) provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the services and software referred to in paragraphs 1 and 3, directly or indirectly, to the Government of Russia or to legal persons, entities or bodies established in Russia; (b) provide financing or financial assistance related to the services and software referred to in paragraphs 1 and 3, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly, to the Government of Russia or to legal persons, entities or bodies established in Russia; (c) sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the software referred to in paragraph 3 and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of that software, directly or indirectly, to the Government of Russia or to any legal person, entity or body established in Russia.

4 A prior authorisation shall be required for the provision, directly or indirectly, of any service not covered by paragraphs 1 or 2, to the Government of Russia. The competent authorities may authorise, based on a specific and case-by-case assessment, the provision of such services, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that this is consistent with the objectives of this Regulation and Regulation (EU) No 269/2014.

5 Paragraph 1, points (a) and (b) shall not apply to the provision of services that are strictly necessary for the exercise of the right of defence in judicial proceedings and the right to an effective legal remedy.

6 Paragraph 1, points (a) and (b) shall not apply to the provision of services which are strictly necessary to ensure access to judicial, administrative or arbitral proceedings in a Member State, as well as for the recognition or enforcement of a judgment or an arbitration award rendered in a Member State, provided that such provision of services is consistent with the objectives of this Regulation and those of Regulation (EU) No 269/2014.

8 Paragraph 1, points (c) and (f), and paragraph 3 shall not apply to the sale, supply, transfer, export or provision of services or software necessary for public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment, or as a response to natural disasters.

8a Paragraph 1 shall not apply to the provision of services, by nationals of a Member State who are residents of Russia and were so before 24 February 2022, to the legal persons, entities or bodies referred to in point (h) of paragraph 10 which are their employers, provided that such services are intended for the exclusive use of those legal persons, entities or bodies.

8b Paragraph 1, points (f), (g) and (h) shall apply as of 25 November 2025.

8c Paragraphs 2 and 4 shall not apply to the execution until 1 January 2026 of contracts concluded before 24 October 2025, or ancillary contracts necessary for the execution of such a contract.

9a By way of derogation from paragraph 1, points (a) and (b), the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that such services are strictly necessary for the setting-up, certification or evaluation of a firewall measure which: (a) removes the control by a natural or legal person, entity or body listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 269/2014, over the assets of a non-listed legal person, entity or body incorporated or constituted under the law of a Member State which is owned or controlled by the former; and (b) ensures that no further funds or economic resources accrue to the benefit of the listed natural or legal person, entity or body.

9b By way of derogation from paragraph 1, points (g) and (h), and from paragraph 3, the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services and software referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that such services or software are strictly necessary for the contribution of Russian nationals to international open-source projects.

9c By way of derogation from paragraph 1, points (a), (c) and (e), the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that such services are strictly necessary for the functioning of a consular or diplomatic representation of the Russian Federation located in a Member State.

9d By way of derogation from paragraph 1, point (f), the competent authorities may authorise the provision of services referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that such services are necessary for intergovernmental cooperation in space programmes.

10 By way of derogation from paragraphs 1, 3 and 3a, the competent authorities may authorise the sale, supply, transfer, export, or provision of the services and software referred to therein, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that to do so is necessary for: (a) humanitarian purposes, such as delivering or facilitating the delivery of assistance, including medical supplies, food, or the transfer of humanitarian workers and related assistance, or for evacuations; (b) civil society activities that directly promote democracy, human rights or the rule of law in Russia; (c) the functioning of diplomatic and consular representations of the Union and of the Member States or partner countries in Russia, including delegations, embassies and missions, or international organisations in Russia enjoying immunities in accordance with international law; (d) ensuring critical energy supply within the Union and the purchase, import or transport into the Union of titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium or iron ore; (e) ensuring the continuous operation of infrastructure, hardware or software which is critical for human health and safety or for the safety of the environment; (f) the establishment, operation, maintenance, fuel supply and retreatment and safety of civil nuclear capabilities, and the continuation of design, construction and commissioning required for the completion of civil nuclear facilities, the supply of precursor material for the production of medical radioisotopes and similar medical applications, or critical technology for environmental radiation monitoring, as well as for civil nuclear cooperation, in particular in the field of research and development; (g) the provision of electronic communication services by Union telecommunication operators necessary for the operation, maintenance and security, including cybersecurity, of electronic communication services, in Russia, in Ukraine, in the Union, between Russia and the Union, and between Ukraine and the Union, and for data centre services in the Union; (h) the exclusive use of legal persons, entities or bodies established in Russia that are owned by, or solely or jointly controlled by, a legal person, entity or body which is incorporated or constituted under the law of a Member State or a partner country as listed in Annex VIII.

10a The prohibition in paragraph 3 shall not apply to the provision of software with certain uses in the banking and financial sector as listed in Annex XXXIX that is necessary for the execution until 30 September 2025 of contracts concluded before 20 July 2025, or of ancillary contracts necessary for the execution of such contracts.

11 The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under paragraphs 4, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d or 10 within two weeks of the authorisation.’

It shall be prohibited, during the five years following the sale or any form of lease arrangement of vessels or aircraft that were operated, directly or indirectly, by the Government of Russia or by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia, to sell, provide, underwrite or otherwise enter into any contract or arrangement which results in the transfer of risks from, or the ceding of exposure to risks associated with, insurance coverage for such vessels or aircraft.’

1 Russian nationals, who are members of the diplomatic or consular personnel of Russia, or members of the administrative and technical staff or of the service staff of diplomatic missions or consular posts of Russia, or their family members, holders of a valid residence permit, including diplomatic identification documents, or a valid visa issued by another State, who intend to travel to or transit through the territory of any Member State, based on that residence permit or visa, shall notify the Member State or Member States concerned by the travel at least 24 hours before the intended date of entry into their territory.

2 Paragraph 1 shall not apply to minors or family members who are not part of the household of members of the diplomatic mission or consular post.

3 Paragraph 1 shall not apply to travel to or transit through the territory of the Member State that issued the residence permit or visa.

4 The notification in paragraph 1 shall include: (a) the means of transport; for private vehicles, including those owned by a diplomatic mission or a consular post or an employee thereof, it shall include the make, type, and licence plate number; for public transport, it shall include the name of the carrier and the route code or equivalent; (b) the point of entry into the territory; (c) the date of entry into the territory; (d) the point of exit from the territory; (e) the date of exit from the territory.

5 Member States shall inform the Council of any cases of breach of the obligation in paragraph 1.

6 This Article shall apply from 25 January 2026.

1 A Member State may impose an authorisation requirement on the travel to or transit through its territory of Russian nationals, who are members of diplomatic or consular personnel of Russia, or members of the administrative and technical staff or of the service staff of diplomatic missions or consular posts of Russia, or their family members, holders of a valid residence permit, including diplomatic IDs, or a valid visa issued by another State, based on that residence permit or visa.

2 National measures adopted on the basis of paragraph 1: (a) shall comply with the international law obligations of a Member State in respect of its own nationals; (b) shall not apply to minors or family members who are not part of the household of members of the diplomatic mission or consular post; (c) shall be without prejudice to the rights of a natural person in accordance with international law, while proceeding to take up or to return to his or her post, or when returning to his or her own country; (d) shall be without prejudice to cases in which a Member State is bound by an obligation of international law, namely: (i) as a host country to an international intergovernmental organisation; (ii) as a host country to an international conference or proceeding convened by, or under the auspices of the United Nations (UN); (iii) under a multilateral agreement conferring privileges and immunities; or (iv) under the 1929 Treaty of Conciliation (Lateran pact) concluded by the Holy See (State of the Vatican City) and Italy; (v) as a host country to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); and (e) shall not apply to travel to and from, or transit through the territories of Member States of natural persons who are members of the diplomatic corps of Russia, for the purposes of participation in an international conference convened by, or organised under the auspices of the European Union, the United Nations and its specialised agencies, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

3 A Member State deciding to adopt national measures pursuant to paragraph 1 shall inform the Council, at least 5 days before the entry into force of such measures.

4 This Article shall apply from 25 January 2026.’

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.