The EU has blacklisted Russia for money laundering.

The decision to include Russia on the EU's money laundering blacklist has entered into force. A notice of this was published in the Journal of the European Council.

The European Commission officially added Russia to the list of countries at high risk of money laundering and terrorist financing on December 3, 2025. The decision entered into force on the twentieth day after publication (January 9), as it was not overturned by the European Parliament or the European Council.

This refers to a list of countries with "strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) systems." This effectively amounts to a blacklist of jurisdictions where, according to the EU, compliance with international anti-money laundering regulations is weak.

The measure will oblige financial institutions to strengthen comprehensive verification of all transactions and will force banks that have not yet taken action against Russia to take additional risk mitigation measures.

The European Commission's list typically mirrors that of the world's largest anti-money laundering body, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). In 2023, it suspended Russia's membership but did not add the country to the grey or black lists, despite Ukraine's insistence. China , India, Saudi Arabia , and South Africa opposed the move . The European Commission then decided to blacklist Russia, regardless of the FATF's position.

Rosfinmonitoring called the European Commission's decision politicized. There was no real basis for this move, a representative of the agency told RBC.

"The European Commission's publication does not contain any specific indications of any strategic shortcomings in Russia's anti-money laundering system. The document was prepared without Russia's participation, which contradicts the procedure for assessing third countries established by the Union itself," Rosfinmonitoring noted.

Russia has not been blacklisted for money laundering and cashing risks since 2002, when the FATF removed the country from its list following the adoption of a law regulating this area.

Rosfinmonitoring expects the EU authorities' decision will not have a global impact. "The European Commission's document applies only to organizations under the jurisdiction of the European Union (EU). The Russian anti-money laundering system, including the credit and financial sector, will continue to operate as before," the financial intelligence service explained.