Commons Briefing paper by Claire Mills. It was first published on Monday, 15 May 2023. It was last updated on Monday, 15 May 2023.

Russian sanctions prior to the invasion of Ukraine

Sanctions have been in place against Russia since 2014, in response to the annexation of Crimea and the ongoing destabilisation of eastern Ukraine.

Sanctions designations against over 200 individuls and over 50 Russian entities have been made under several UK sanctions regimes:

Financial and trade (the Russia sanctions regime), coordinated with the US, the EU and Canada.
Global human rights (Magnitsky sanctions)
Global anti-corruption
Chemical weapons
Cyber

Secondary information

Type: Research briefing
Reference: CBP-9797
Related items: Sanctions against Russia: What has changed since January 2025?
Monday, 3 August 2026
Research briefings
Subjects: Armed conflict Corruption Chemical weapons Cybercrime Ukraine Trade Sanctions Russia Crimea
Legislation: Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019; Cyber (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020
Published by: International Affairs and Defence Section; House of Commons Library
Link: View this Research briefing on researchbriefings.parliament.uk