The European Union’s proposed 21st sanctions package against Russia could affect companies in Central Asia, including firms in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as Brussels moves to tighten controls on sanctions circumvention.

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have been named among the countries whose organisations may face new restrictions, although Brussels has yet to disclose which businesses could be affected.

Announcing the measures, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc plans to intensify pressure on Moscow by targeting networks and structures used to bypass existing sanctions.

“Brick by brick, we are collapsing the foundations of Russia's war economy,” Kallas wrote on social media platform X. “Today, we are presenting our proposals for a 21st sanctions package against Russia. This includes a temporary freeze of the Russian oil price cap and designations of institutions used by Moscow to generate revenues and circumvent EU sanctions. It will target banks, weapons manufacturers, oil traders, refineries, and crypto operators in third countries.”

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The package also includes additional export control measures affecting 50 companies worldwide that the EU says are linked to supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex.

More than 30 entities connected to drone production could be added to the sanctions list, alongside companies from China, Türkiye, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates and India, Kallas said.

However, the EU has not yet identified which companies from Central Asia could be included. The European Commission has also not published the list of entities under consideration, leaving the potential impact on businesses in the region unclear.

Wider measures against Russia

Alongside measures targeting foreign organisations, the proposed package includes restrictions on dozens of Russian banks, cryptocurrency platforms, oil sector companies and businesses linked to arms production. Brussels is also seeking to ban exports to Russia of certain metals, alloys, chemicals and components that could potentially be used in military manufacturing.

European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said the 21st sanctions package could be formally presented by 14 June. It would then require approval from all EU member states before coming into force.

Previous sanctions on Central Asian entities

This would not be the first time companies from Central Asia have been included in EU sanctions. In the bloc’s 20th package, Kazakhstan-based United Trading Group LLP was added to the list after EU authorities said it had supplied chemicals used in semiconductor wafer processing.

The same package also marked the first inclusion of entities from Kyrgyzstan. Keremet Bank and Capital Bank were placed under EU restrictions over concerns that they may have been used to bypass sanctions against Russia, including through the SPFS financial messaging system, which has been under EU sanctions since 2024.

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