After February 24, 2022, the world activated economic measures against Russia. But instead of the “sanctions from hell,” the measures imposed by the US, EU, G7, and their allies were neither unprecedented in scale nor fast enough to trigger the collapse of the Russian economy. This was exactly what US President Joe Biden had threatened Putin with back in 2022. The goal of Western sanctions was simple and obvious: to paralyze Russia’s financial system, making it impossible to sustain the war by cutting revenues and restricting access to critical technologies.
The 19th Package of Sanctions — A Half-Measure Toward Russia’s Economic Collapse
The 19th package is not a strategy but rather a cosmetic fix of an old model that has already proven ineffective. Since 2014, gradual and half-hearted sanctions have failed to stop Putin. They did not prevent the annexation of Crimea, nor the full-scale invasion of 2022. And they certainly cannot stop the missiles and drones that are already flying into NATO and EU airspace.
Europe is busy reassuring itself instead of finishing off the aggressor. As long as the Kremlin has three lifelines — the shadow fleet, “sanctions hubs” in third countries, and the untouchable assets of the elites — no sanctions package will be decisive. These are not weak spots but deliberately preserved loopholes. And as long as they remain, Russia’s war economy will continue to have the resources to kill, destroy, and erode trust in the West.
The projected losses for Russia’s budget from this new package amount to $10–20 billion per year, or about 1% of GDP. Painful, yes — but far from fatal. After all, in 2024 alone Russia earned more than $230 billion from energy exports.
And here lies the key question: if the real objective is to cripple the Kremlin’s war economy, why does the current sanctions regime continue to allow these three critical loopholes to exist? For now, the 19th package looks more like a cosmetic update than a genuine turning point.
Total Economic Isolation of the Russian Federation — That Is What’s Really Needed
For sanctions to become a real weapon of victory rather than an illusion, we need a new strategy — a strategy of total economic isolation of the Russian Federation. This is not about another round of cosmetic updates, but systemic measures that will genuinely break the Kremlin’s war economy. So what decisions need to be taken?
A complete blockade of the shadow fleet. As long as hundreds of “pirate” tankers operate without insurance or inspections and freely transport Russian oil, any price cap is meaningless. Their voyages provide billions of dollars for the missiles and drones that strike Ukraine every day and threaten Europe. The EU must finally enforce international maritime law and shut down key routes — from the Baltic to the Bosphorus. Every illicit tanker must be intercepted.
Secondary sanctions on intermediaries. Turkey, China, India and the UAE have become “sanctions hubs” through which the Kremlin sells oil and acquires technology. Until these gray zones are sealed with tough secondary restrictions, Moscow will retain legal gateways to evade penalties. The West must force a clear choice: you either do business with Russia — or with the G7+.
Confiscation of frozen assets. Hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian state and oligarchic assets sit in European and American banks as “dead capital.” This is a symbol of Western indecision. Those funds should finance Ukraine’s reconstruction while simultaneously debilitating the Russian economy. Without asset confiscation, talk of holding the aggressor truly accountable is a farce.
Blocking technological channels. Every Western microchip and optical sensor that reaches Russia through third countries is transformed into a drone or a missile. Today, these components are not only targeting Kyiv and Kharkiv but are also entering NATO and EU airspace. The West must finally establish a strict monitoring system and enforce real accountability for companies and states involved in this so-called “parallel import.”
Bringing the War to the Aggressor’s Territory
Sanctions cannot remain merely a defensive tool. They must be transformed into an offensive weapon that takes the economic war directly onto the enemy’s territory. Ukraine’s defense forces have already set an example by striking Russian oil refineries and military facilities. Each precise strike proves to the world that the so-called “Russian fortress” is vulnerable. The West must act the same way in the economic domain — cutting off revenue streams and ensuring the Kremlin pays a daily price for its aggression. This will not only weaken Russia’s war machine but also shatter the myth of the “invincibility” of its economy.
The European Union, however, continues to purchase Russian energy resources — in particular LNG — and thus remains one of the Kremlin’s largest war sponsors. In just the past four years, Russia has earned nearly one trillion dollars from selling energy to Europe. Until this cash flow is cut off completely, any talk of a genuine sanctions policy is nothing but self-deception.
Russia Is Already at War with NATO and the EU — What Else Will It Take to Wake Up?!
Russia’s war against NATO and the EU is already underway. The facts are clear: Russian drones have been detected in the airspace of Poland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and Russian aircraft have operated over Estonia. These are not isolated incidents but a systematic challenge the Kremlin is using to probe the Alliance’s limits. NATO’s response has so far been sluggish and belated. The West confines itself to expressions of “concern” while Russia grows ever more brazen in bringing elements of war onto EU territory. Indecision and delay only feed the aggressor’s appetite. When drones enter the airspace of Alliance members, silence or hesitation effectively legitimizes Kremlin impunity.
Western partners must cast off their paralyzing fear of Russian “retaliation.” Asset confiscation, a full blockade of the shadow fleet, and secondary sanctions on intermediaries in Turkey, China, India and the UAE are not “risks” — they are the only effective demonstration of strength. Any sign of weakness or willingness to compromise will only embolden an expanding axis of revisionist powers (Russia, China, Iran, North Korea) to escalate further.
Economic measures must be accompanied by legal accountability. Russia must answer for war crimes — from Bucha to Kakhovka — and be held to account for acts amounting to genocide against the Ukrainian people. This is not merely a question of justice; it is prevention. The era of half-measures has failed; its cost has been thousands of lives and the destruction of Ukrainian cities.
For a lasting peace, Ukraine must prevail: through Russia’s military defeat, the collapse of its war economy, and the dismantling of the regime that wages aggression. That outcome requires maximum mobilization and uncompromising allied action now.
Authors: Olena Sas, Svitlana Yednak, National Interests Advocacy Network “ANTS”
Source: Censor.NET
