Today, on 12 September 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers, at an extraordinary meeting, adopted a Cabinet regulation, “Regulations on the imposition of national sanctions on entities of the Republic of Latvia related to military aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine”. This will be yet another tool to respond to the threats to Latvia’s national security posed by Russian aggression in the current geopolitical situation.
The regulations will enter into force on the day following their publication in the official gazette, Latvijas Vēstnesis.
They establish the framework of the sanctions regime and provide criteria on the basis of which it will be possible to impose national sanctions on specific natural and legal persons. For example, those who are responsible for, support or implement actions or policies that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence, stability or security of Ukraine, who do business with separatist groups in Ukraine or who are influential businesspeople in Russia and operate in economic sectors that provide an important source of income for the Russian Federation.
The Cabinet, based on information collected and evaluated by the national security authorities, will have the right to adopt an order on the imposition of national sanctions, providing for financial and entry restrictions on specific persons.
Since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the EU has imposed sweeping sanctions against the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. To date, the EU has adopted 18 sanction packages, which include measures to erode the economic base of the Russian Federation, denying it access to critical technologies and markets, and significantly restricting its ability to sustain military aggression against Ukraine. In total, EU restrictive measures have been imposed on more than 2,500 subjects involved in, or responsible for actions that undermine or pose threat the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
As the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine continues, it is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of Latvia’s sanctions policy and provide for the possibility of imposing national sanctions against entities that are directly or indirectly involved or have been involved in supporting the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine and cause or may cause harm to Latvia’s national security.