The Countries Sanctioning Russia

Japan imposed a set of sanctions on Russia and Belarus in October 2022, targeting nine entities and 81 individuals, including Alexander Zaldostanov, leader and founder of the far-right nationalist motorcycle club Night Wolves, and the wives and other relatives of far-right Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Entities added to the list include Rostec, the Moscow-based, state-owned defense conglomerate.

Australia has imposed sanctions against Russia since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The sanctions prohibit any Australia-based entity from exporting arms, aluminum ore, items used in oil exploration, among other restrictions. The country also has sanctions against individuals in Ukraine deemed a threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

While France, an EU member, follows sanctions imposed by the European Union, it also frequently imposes additional sanctions decided by France Tresor (its treasury department). Other EU members, such as Germany and Bulgaria, follow the multilateral sanctions imposed by the European Union or, if they are one of the seven member states, by the G7 nations. France has imposed more sanctions on Russia since the Ukraine invasion than the European Union as a whole, but fewer than Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The European Union has imposed nearly 1,200 sanctions on Russia since February 2022. The sweeping sanctions target virtually every aspect of Russia’s economy, from blocking financial transactions to banning Russian media outlets. The EU has also imposed sweeping sanctions against Belarus, for its involvement in assisting Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, and against Iran, in relation to Russia’s use of its military drones.

The United Kingdom is among the world’s leading countries in imposing sanctions against Russia. Britain’s autonomous sanctions against Russia are in part a result of its previous decision to leave the European Union. The country’s more than 1,400 sanctions since February 2022 are largely designed to align itself with the EU’s efforts to alienate Russia from the international financial, trade, transportation, logistics, and energy export activities.

Switzerland has long had close economic ties to Russia, but it abandoned its usual reserve (it maintained a neutral stance during World War II) with its decision earlier this year to follow the European Union in freezing the assets of Russian companies and elites. As of December, the country has frozen nearly $8 billion worth of Russian assets. However, the country’s secretive banking system was holding up to $213 billion in Russian wealth as of March, according to an estimate by the country’s financial industry association.

Canada is second to the United States in having the highest number of sanctions against Russia. It also targets certain entities and individuals in Belarus and Ukraine for their support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Canada has both autonomous sanctions and multilateral sanctions through its membership in the G7. In December, it announced additional sanctions targeting 33 former senior Russian officials for “gross and systemic human rights violations” against Russian anti-war activists.

The United States has imposed the most sanctions against Russia. The U.S. accounts for about 20% of the sanctions imposed on Russia among the countries with the highest number of sanctions. In September, the U.S. announced a new series of sanctions against top Russian officials, including hundreds of members of the Russian legislature and central bank, after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that some Ukrainian provinces had become part of Russia.