“Nearly 2,000 tons of natural rubber worth $5.1 million was exported from the EU to Russia in 2024,” — POLITICO reports, citing Economic Security Council of Ukraine research.
The material is critical for Russia’s defense industry — including the production of tires for fighter jets, missile carriers, and bomb-delivery systems.
Although synthetic rubber has faced EU restrictions since 2023, which were further tightened in the 19th sanctions package, natural rubber remains largely untouched. One of the biggest suppliers is a Latvian company that has shipped more than $2.2 million worth of natural rubber to Russian entities — including the defense ministry. There are, however, no signs yet that natural rubber will be added to the sanctions list.
“The 20th package will likely focus on limiting Russia’s revenues from energy exports — primarily by further curbing the shadow fleet,” said Olena Yurchenko, Director for Analytics, Research, and Investigations at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU).
According to her, persistent vulnerabilities include the slow pace of sanctions-making and Brussels’ caution on secondary sanctions targeting middlemen who re-export dual-use goods to Russia.
“Direct exports from the EU have been virtually reduced to zero, but the response to intermediaries in third countries is still not decisive enough,” Olena told Politico Brussels Playbook.