Coverage of sanctions programs, price caps and financial restrictions, with official counts from U.S. screening lists.
Featured investigations
SanctionsRussian Oil Price Cap at $44.10: Does It Still Bite?The Russian oil price cap now sits at $44.10 a barrel, its lowest level since the G7 and European Union introduced it in December 2022, and the EU has frozen it there until July…
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Sanctions: OFAC designations and the Russian oil price cap
Entries on the Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, grouped by sanctions program family. One entry can sit in several programs, so groups overlap and do not sum to the total of 19,471. Verified fact
- Russia6,640
- Iran4,070
- Counter-terrorism (SDGT)3,360
- Narcotics (SDNTK, EO 14059)2,126
- WMD proliferation (NPWMD)1,205
- North Korea541
- Venezuela405
- Belarus253
- Entity10,042
- Individual7,519
- Vessel1,568
- Aircraft342
Source: International Trade Administration. Data as of: Oct. 22, 2026.
EU price cap on seaborne Russian crude
| From | To | Cap per barrel | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 5, 2022 | Sept. 2, 2025 | $60.00 | Original G7/EU cap on seaborne Russian crude |
| Sept. 3, 2025 | Jan. 31, 2026 | $47.60 | EU 18th package; dynamic mechanism set at average market price minus 15% |
| Feb. 1, 2026 | Frozen until July 2027 | $44.10 | EU 21st package (July 23, 2026) paused the scheduled review |
Caps on refined products are unchanged at $100 a barrel for premium-to-crude products such as diesel and $45 for discount-to-crude products such as fuel oil. Estimate CREA estimates Urals averaged $69.9 a barrel in August 2026, above the cap (CREA).
Source: European Commission. Data as of: Aug. 24, 2026 guidance.
Measurable outcomes
Indicators that show what these measures have and have not changed. Each row is labeled by the kind of evidence it is.
| Indicator | Value | Evidence | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. net customs duties, fiscal 2026 (Oct. 2025 to Sept. 2026) | $173.2 billion, down from $194.9 billion in fiscal 2025; gross receipts $317.8 billion minus $144.6 billion refunded | Verified fact | Sept. 2026 | U.S. Treasury |
| U.S. goods imports from China, Jan. to Aug. 2026 | $183.5 billion, down 16.3% from $219.3 billion a year earlier; U.S. exports to China about flat at $73.9 billion | Verified fact | Aug. 2026 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Statutory U.S. average tariff rate | 11.0% on Aug. 24, 2026; projected 11.8% by year-end under current law | Estimate | Aug. 24, 2026 | The Budget Lab at Yale |
| Russia federal oil and gas revenue, Jan. to Sept. 2026 | 5.471 trillion rubles, down 17.2% year on year; the ministry cited a stronger ruble and higher refinery compensation payments | Official claim | Oct. 9, 2026 | Interfax |
| Urals crude price vs. the $44.10 cap | $69.9 a barrel average in August 2026, above the cap | Estimate | Aug. 2026 | CREA |
| Share of Russian seaborne oil on sanctioned 'shadow' tankers | 52% in August 2026 | Estimate | Aug. 2026 | CREA |
| Nvidia share of China's data-center AI chip market | 34% in the first half of 2026; Huawei 28% | Estimate | H1 2026 | Reuters via Yahoo Finance |
Timeline
- Scheduled
EU ban on Russian LNG under long-term contracts scheduled to start. Sanctions · Energy (European Commission)
U.S. waives tariffs and most sanctions in the Graham Act on buyers of Russian oil. Sanctions · Energy (The Boston Report)
EU adds about 1,569 listings tied to Russia's military industry. Sanctions (The Boston Report)
OFAC General License 135 authorizes imports of Russian-origin diesel for 180 days. Sanctions · Energy (The Boston Report)
EU 21st package freezes the Russian crude price cap at $44.10 until July 2027. Sanctions · Energy (European Commission)
EU ban on Russian LNG under short-term contracts takes effect. Sanctions · Energy (CREA)
EU price cap on Russian crude falls to $44.10 a barrel. Sanctions · Energy (European Commission)
EU ban on oil products refined from Russian crude takes effect. Sanctions · Energy (CREA)
U.S. Treasury sanctions Rosneft and Lukoil, following the UK on Oct. 15. Sanctions · Energy (Brookings)
EU price cap on Russian crude drops from $60 to $47.60 under a new dynamic mechanism. Sanctions · Energy (European Commission)
G7 and EU price cap of $60 a barrel on seaborne Russian crude takes effect. Sanctions · Energy (European Commission)
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