How the World Is Seeking to Put Pressure on Russia

Feb. 23: President Biden said he would impose economic sanctions on the company behind Nord Stream 2 — a nearly 800-mile-long natural gas pipeline that is not yet operational between Russia and Germany. A day earlier, Germany mothballed the project, even though it relies on Russia for 55 percent of its gas needs. The target of the sanctions is a subsidiary of Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy company.

Feb. 24: President Biden said the United States would cut off Sberbank and VTB Bank, two of Russia’s largest banks, and several large companies from Western financial markets. He also announced sweeping restrictions on technological imports, and said that the United States was freezing trillions of dollars in Russian assets, expanding a crackdown on Russian elites and their families.

Feb. 25: The United States moved to personally penalize President Vladimir V. Putin and Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, imposing sanctions aimed at freezing their assets. The measures also targeted other national security officials.

Feb. 26: The Biden administration and key allies announced that they would remove some Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system, essentially banning them from international transactions. They also said they would impose restrictions on Russia’s central bank to prevent it from using its large international reserves to undermine sanctions. The actions were agreed to by the European Commission, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.

Feb. 28: The Treasury Department announced that it would freeze assets of the Russian central bank that are held in the United States and impose sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund that is run by a close ally of Mr. Putin’s.

March 1: President Biden announced during his State of the Union address that the United States would ban Russian aircraft from flying through American airspace.

March 2: The Biden administration said that it would impose sanctions on several Russian military organizations and take action to stem the flow of important technologies to Russian oil refineries. The Commerce Department said it had extended to Belarus the same restrictions the United States placed on Russia on Feb. 24, preventing items like technology and software from being routed through Belarus to restricted sectors in Russia.

March 3: The Biden administration said it would impose sanctions on eight individuals with close ties to Mr. Putin, including his spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, and place visa restrictions on several oligarchs, as well as their family members and close associates.

March 8: President Biden announced a ban on the importation of Russian oil, coal and natural gas into the United States. The move effectively shuts off the flow of Russian fuel into the country, which receives less than 10 percent of its energy resources from Russia.

March 11: In a coordinated move with leaders of the European Union and other Group of 7 countries, President Biden announced that the United States would strip the country of normal trade relations. He also moved to impose economic sanctions on members of the Russian elite and cut off additional avenues of trade between the United States and Russia, banning lucrative imports like seafood, vodka and certain diamonds. The United States will also restrict exports to Russia and Belarus of luxury items like high-end watches, vehicles, alcohol, jewelry and apparel.

March 24: The United States hit Russia with sanctions targeting 328 members of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly. They also include Russian defense companies such as Tactical Missiles Corporation JSC, which makes weapons systems. The Treasury Department issued guidance to make clear that transactions involving Russia’s $130 billion of gold reserves were also subject to U.S. sanctions, blunting the country’s ability to use the gold to prop up its currency.

March 31: The Treasury Department leveled sanctions on Russian technology companies and illicit procurement networks that the country is using to evade existing sanctions. Among the 34 organizations and individuals targeted are companies that illicitly procure dual-use equipment and technology for Russia’s defense sector and produce computer hardware, software and microelectronics that are used by Russia’s defense sector.

April 6: A senior official in the Biden administration said that the United States had imposed “full blocking” sanctions against Sberbank, the largest financial institution in Russia, and Alfa Bank, one of the country’s largest privately owned banks. The administration also announced punitive measures against two adult daughters of Mr. Putin, the wife and daughter of Mr. Lavrov, and members of Russia’s national security council. The Treasury will also block Russia from making debt payments with assets that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction, a move that will force Russia to find new sources of funding outside its frozen central bank funds.

April 8: The United States announced sanctions against two major Russian state-owned enterprises: Alrosa, one of the world’s largest diamond mining companies, and United Shipbuilding Corporation, which constructs many of the country’s military warships. The Treasury Department said the move would cut off revenue for Russia’s war against Ukraine.

April 20: The Treasury Department moved to crack down on Russia’s efforts to evade sanctions by imposing a set of measures targeting individuals and organizations accused of facilitating illicit transactions. The sanctions target Transkapitalbank, a privately owned Russian commercial bank said to offer its clients the ability to conduct transactions through an alternative system to SWIFT. The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on a network of 40 individuals and associated companies accused of pursuing “deals around the world to facilitate business opportunities for sanctioned Russian companies.”

May 8: The White House announced sanctions targeting the board members of two major Russian banks, a Russian state-owned bank and 10 of its subsidiaries, a weapons manufacturer and three of Russia’s state-controlled television stations. The Biden administration also said it would prohibit Americans from providing accounting or consulting services to anyone in the Russia.

June 2: The Treasury Department said it had leveled sanctions against a yacht management company and its owners, describing them as part of a corrupt system that allows Russian elites and President Vladimir V. Putin to enrich themselves. The department also announced sanctions against four Russian government officials as well as Yury Slyusar, the president of a Russian-state owned company that supplies aircraft to Russia’s military. Also put under sanctions is Sergei Roldugin, a Russian cellist and a longtime friend of Mr. Putin’s, described by the Treasury Department as “a custodian of President Putin’s offshore wealth.” The State Department separately imposed sanctions on Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian minister of foreign affairs, and Alexei Mordashov, a Russian billionaire. The Commerce Department announced that it was blacklisting 71 organizations, in an attempt to block Russia’s military from importing key technology.

European Union

Feb. 23: The European Union adopted a first round of economic sanctions targeting 27 individuals and entities, including political, military, business and financial organizations, as well as people linked to the decision to recognize the so-called republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The penalties include European Union-wide asset freezes and travel bans. The sanctions also prevent Russian state and regional governments, including state banks, from accessing European Union financial and capital markets, freeze the assets of three banks linked to the separatist enclaves and extend trade bans that have been placed on Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.

Feb. 25: European leaders approved a new set of sanctions, freezing the assets of President Vladimir V. Putin and Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister. The European Union will also ban the export of aircraft and spare parts that are necessary for the maintenance of Russian fleets, as well as specialized oil-refining technology and semiconductors. Additional measures will penalize Russian banks and elites.

Feb. 28: The European Union adopted new measures to finance the purchase and delivery of weapons to Ukraine. The bloc also announced a total closure of E.U. airspace to all Russian aircraft and a ban on transactions with the Russian central bank.

March 2: The bloc banned the Kremlin-funded global broadcaster RT and the news agency Sputnik from European airwaves, while also excluding seven Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system.

March 9: The European Union said that it was updating its sanctions against Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine, adding more names to its long list of penalized individuals. The update also bars several Belarusian banks from SWIFT and extends its definition of sanctions to include cryptocurrencies, an attempt to close a potential loophole for individuals or businesses to continue transactions with the rest of the world.

March 11: In a joint move with the United States and other Group of 7 countries, the bloc said that it would strip Russia of normal trade relations.

March 15: The E.U. imposed a fourth package of punishing measures against Russia, including a ban on imports of Russian iron and steel, and sanctions on several individuals with ties to the country’s defense sector.

April 8: The bloc imposed a fifth round of sanctions against Russia that included its first ban on a Russian energy source, coal, to be phased in over four months. European diplomats also agreed to ban Russian-flagged vessels from E.U. ports, block trucks from Russia and its ally, Belarus, from E.U. roads, and stop the import of Russian seafood, cement, wood and liquor and the export to Russia of quantum computers and advanced semiconductors.

June 3: The European Union imposed asset freezes and travel bans against 65 people, including key members of Russia’s military who have been accused of atrocities, as part of its sixth package of sanctions. Among those targeted for punitive measures was Col. Azatbek Omurbekov, whom the E.U. referred to as the “Butcher of Bucha,” and Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, known as the “Butcher of Mariupol” for his role overseeing the siege on the port city. Other people on the list include Alina Kabaeva, a retired Olympic gymnast rumored to be romantically involved with Mr. Putin. The new measures also include an embargo on most Russian oil.

United Kingdom

Feb. 22: The British government slapped targeted economic sanctions on five Russian banks and three wealthy individuals with close ties to President Vladimir V. Putin. Their British assets were frozen, they were barred from traveling to the country, and British citizens and businesses in Britain would be prohibited from having any dealings with them.

Feb. 24: Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an expansion of British sanctions to apply to 100 companies, entities and oligarchs. Five more individuals were barred from the country and had their assets frozen, and the government imposed other measures against all major Russian banks, among other things.

Feb. 28: The British government banned its country’s financial institutions from conducting transactions with the Russian central bank as well as with its foreign ministry and sovereign wealth fund.

March 1: Liz Truss, the British foreign secretary, announced measures directed at Belarus for involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, imposing sanctions on four senior defense officials and two military enterprises.

March 3: Britain announced a full asset freeze and a travel ban on Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov, two oligarchs with links to Mr. Putin and significant financial interests in the United Kingdom.

March 8: Britain said it would phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year, a move coordinated with the United States. The action does not affect Russian gas supplies and will give oil importers several months to make alternative plans to try to avoid any disruption in Britain.

March 10: The British government added seven more oligarchs to its sanctions list, including Roman Abramovich, owner of the Chelsea soccer club. Mr. Abramovich now faces a travel ban, barring him from Britain, as well as an asset freeze that effectively takes control from him of Chelsea, which he has said he was trying to sell.

March 11: Ms. Truss said that Britain had placed a travel ban and asset freeze on 386 members of the Duma, Russia’s lower house of Parliament, who voted to recognize the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. In a joint move with the European Union, the United States and other Group of 7 countries, Britain also announced that it would strip Russia of normal trade relations.

March 15: The British government said that it had imposed sanctions on more than 370 individuals it described as oligarchs, political allies or propagandists for President Putin. Among those on the latest list: Dmitri A. Medvedev, the former president of Russia; Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin; Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin press secretary; Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry; Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister; and Mikhail Fridman, the billionaire founder of Alfa Bank, one of Russia’s largest private banks. The government also announced a ban on exports to Russia of luxury goods and imposed new import tariffs on several Russian products.

March 24: Britain imposed sanctions on an additional 65 Russian companies and individuals, including the Wagner Group, a private military force with ties to Mr. Putin. Among the other targets are Polina Kovaleva, the glamorous stepdaughter of Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, and Galina Danilchenko, who was installed by Russian forces as a puppet mayor in the Ukrainian city of Melitopol.

March 31: Britain’s foreign office announced sanctions on 14 individuals and entities with links to Russian state media, including Sergey Brilev, a prominent anchor on Russia state-owned news outlet Rossiya who previously lived Britain.

April 6: The British government announced asset freezes against Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, and Credit Bank of Moscow, and banned all new investments to Russia. The measures also include sanctions on eight oligarchs and a commitment to end Britain’s reliance on Russian coal, oil and gas imports.

April 8: Britain added Mr. Putin’s daughters, Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, as well as Mr. Lavrov’s daughter, to the list of individuals hit with financial sanctions and a travel ban.

April 13: The British government levied sanctions on 206 individuals. Among those on the list, 178 were targeted for their role in propping up Donetsk and Luhansk, two pro-Russian breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

April 14: Britain added Eugene Tenenbaum and David Davidovich, two Russian oligarchs who it says have close ties to Roman Abramovich, to its list of individuals targeted by sanctions.

April 21: Ms. Truss announced new sanctions targeting Russian military figures as well as individuals and businesses supporting Russia’s operations in Ukraine. The measures included an asset freeze and travel ban on Azatbek Omurbekov, a lieutenant colonel who the British government said was directly involved in perpetrating atrocities in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv where retreating Russian soldiers left behind dozens of dead civilians. The government also announced it was expanding its import tariffs for some Russian products and banning imports of silver, wood products and certain luxury goods from Russia.

April 25: The British government banned exports of certain products and technology, such as surveillance equipment, to Russia.

May 4: Ms. Truss announced a ban on services exports that would prevent Russian businesses from using accountancy, management consultancy and public relations firms in Britain. The government also said it had imposed sanctions on 63 individuals, many of whom have ties to Russian media organizations.

May 5: Britain added Evraz, a steel company that is partly owned by Mr. Abramovich to its list of organizations targeted by sanctions.

May 9: The British government said it was introducing punitive measures against Russia, including import tariffs on products like platinum and palladium and export bans for materials like plastics and rubber.

May 13: Britain imposed sanctions on the family and inner circle of Mr. Putin. Among those blacklisted are Lyudmila Ocheretnaya, Mr. Putin’s former wife, and Alina Kabaeva, a retired Olympic gymnast with whom he has long been rumored to be romantically involved.

Switzerland

Feb. 28: Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality.

March 4: The Swiss Federal Council extended the country’s list of sanctions against Russia, restricting the export of certain goods, banning transactions with the Russian central bank and joining others in cutting the country off from the SWIFT payment system.

Australia

Feb. 23: Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia would impose travel bans and financial sanctions on eight members of Russia’s national security council, while amending existing sanctions that prohibit trade in sectors including transport, oil and gas to cover Donetsk and Luhansk. He also announced a ban prohibiting Australians from doing business with five Russian banks.

Feb. 24: The Australian government announced that it would expand its sanction list to target 25 Russian military figures and four military technology companies, and that it was moving to place restrictions on Australians investing in four financial institutions.

Feb. 28: The Australian government imposed sanctions on more than 350 Russians and 13 Belarussians, Mr. Morrison said. Included on that list is Viktor Khrenin, the Belarusian minister of defense.

March 8: Marise Payne, the Australian foreign minister, announced that the government had placed sanctions on 10 individuals with ties to Russia’s military establishment.

March 11: Australia announced it would prohibit the import of oil, natural gas, coal and other energy products from Russia.

March 14: The Australian government today imposed sanctions on 33 Russian oligarchs, prominent businesspeople and their immediate family members. Among those on the list are Roman Abramovich, the owner of the Chelsea soccer club; Igor Shuvalov, the chairman of Russia’s main development bank, VEB; and Kirill Dmitriev, the chief executive of the state-controlled Russian Direct Investment Fund.

March 18: Australia placed sanctions on 11 Russian banks, including Sberbank, VTK Bank and VEB, as well as several government entities.

March 25: Ms. Payne announced punishing measures against 22 Russian individuals accused of fueling disinformation about the war. Among those targeted are several editors from Russia Today, a state-owned English-language television network, and other news organizations. The government also imposed sanctions on President Alexander G. Lukashenko of Belarus and members of his family.

March 31: The Australian government said that it would impose a tariff increase on all imports from Russia and Belarus, to take effect on April 25.

April 5: Australia announced a ban on the export of luxury goods, including wine, cosmetics and parts for luxury vehicles, to Russia.

April 7: Ms. Payne said the government had decided to imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on 67 individuals for their role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Among those targeted are Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center accused of atrocities in Ukraine’s southern city of Mariupol, and several Russian government officials.

April 14: The government levied sanctions on 14 Russian enterprises of strategic and economic importance to Russia, including the country’s railway company, the transportation giant Kamaz and Ruselectronics, a producer of electronics components.

April 22: Australia announced punishing measures against 147 individuals, including 144 Russian senators, two adult daughters of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and a daughter of Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.

May 17: Australia imposed sanctions on more people and groups tied to Russia and Belarus. The measures targets people and media spreading disinformation, as well as the Wagner Group, a private military force with ties to Mr. Putin.

Canada

Feb. 22: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that a first round of sanctions against Russia would ban Canadians from purchasing Russian sovereign debt and from financial dealings with Donetsk and Luhansk. Financial penalties will also apply to members of the Russian Parliament who voted for the decision to recognize the separatist regions.

Feb. 24: Mr. Trudeau said that the Canadian government would target 58 individuals and entities, including members of the Russian elite and major Russian banks, with economic sanctions. Canada will also cease granting export permits for Russia.

Feb. 28: Chrystia Freeland, the Canadian deputy prime minister and minister of finance, announced that all Canadian financial institutions would be banned from engaging in transactions with the Russian central bank. The government has also imposed an asset freeze on Russian sovereign wealth fund.

March 7: Mr. Trudeau said that Canada had imposed sanctions against 10 more Russian individuals, including current and former senior government officials, oligarchs and supporters of Russian leadership.

March 11: The Canadian prime minister said the government had added five new Russian oligarchs, including Roman Abramovich, owner of the Chelsea soccer club, to Canada’s list of sanctions, freezing their assets and barring them from doing business in the country. The federal government is also banning 32 Russian companies and government entities from receiving military equipment from Canada. In a joint announcement with the European Union, the United States and other Group of 7 countries, the Canadian government also said that it would strip Russia of normal trade relations.

March 15: Canada said it had imposed sanctions on 15 senior Russian officials.

March 23: The Canadian government imposed economic sanctions on 160 members of Russia’s Federation Council.

March 24: Canada imposed restrictions on certain goods and technology exports, including in the areas of electronics, computers, telecommunications, aerospace and transportation, to Russia.

April 4: The Canadian government said it would impose punishing measures on nine Russian and nine Belarusian individuals.

April 11: Melanie Joly, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said the government had imposed sanctions on 33 entities with ties to Russia’s defense industry.

April 19: Canada added 14 more Russians, including two daughters of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, to its list individuals targeted by sanctions.

May 3: The Canadian government imposed financial sanctions on 21 Russian billionaires with close ties to the Russian government, as well as members of their families. Among those targeted was Vagit Y. Alekperov, the former president of the oil company Lukoil, and Andrei A. Guryev, the scion of a fertilizer empire PhosAgro.

May 6: Canada added 19 Russian defense officials and five military organizations to its list of individuals targeted by sanctions.

May 17: Marco Mendicino, the country’s minister of public safety, announced that the government would bar Russians targeted by sanctions from entering Canada.

May 20: Canada’s foreign ministry announced it was imposing sanctions on 14 Russian oligarchs, their family members and close associates of Mr. Putin, including Alexander Lebedev, a Russian businessman and former KGB agent.

Japan

Feb. 23: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pushed through a package of sanctions prohibiting Russia from issuing new sovereign bonds in Japanese markets, banning any trade with Donetsk and Luhansk, and freezing the assets of representatives of those republics and barring them from receiving visas.

Feb. 28: Mr. Kishida said he was adding more sanctions against Russia, including limits on central bank transactions. Mr. Kishida said that given Belarus’s apparent collusion with Russia in its attacks on Ukraine, Japan would also add President Alexander G. Lukashenko of Belarus and other individuals to a list of those targeted by Japanese financial sanctions and restrict exports to Belarus.

March 3: The Japanese government announced that it would freeze the assets of several Russian oligarchs with ties to President Vladimir V. Putin.

March 8: Japan slapped economic sanctions on 32 Russian and Belarusian individuals, including Mr. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov.

March 11: In a joint announcement with the European Union, the United States and other Group of 7 countries, the Japanese government said that it would strip Russia of normal trade relations.

March 15: The Japanese government added 17 Russian individuals to its list of individuals penalized by sanctions, including several members of the Duma, Russia’s lower house of Parliament.

March 18: Japan said it would impose sanctions on an additional 15 individuals and nine organizations from Russia. The list includes defense officials, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman and a state-owned arms export agency, Rosoboronexport.

March 25: Japan added 25 people, including Igor Shuvalov, the former Russian deputy prime minister, to its list of people targeted by economic sanctions.

April 12: Japan’s government froze the assets of 398 people, including two of Putin’s daughters, and 28 organizations as additional sanctions against Russia.

Singapore

Feb. 28: Singapore announced that it was imposing sanctions on Russia. The country’s minister for foreign affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, announced in Parliament that Singapore “will also block certain Russian banks and financial transactions connected to Russia.”

South Korea

Feb. 28: South Korea is banning the export of some strategic materials to Russia as part of its sanctions against the country. It has also joined in excluding Russia from the SWIFT financial messaging system.

Taiwan

Feb. 25: The government of Taiwan, the self-ruling island over which China claims sovereignty, announced that it was imposing economic sanctions against Russia.

April 6: Taiwan said that it was banning exports of 57 high-tech goods, including memory chips and telecommunications equipment, that can be used for both civil and military purposes.

May 7: The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry it was extending its export ban on high-tech goods to Belarus.