RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT UNFRIENDLY COUNTRIES LIST

The Unfriendly Countries List is a list of countries published by the Russian government for engaging in activities that the government considers to be "unfriendly" to Russia.

First established in May 2021 with only two countries named on the list – the United States and the Czech Republic- the list has since been expanded to 56 countries and territories plus the European Union after those countries imposed sanctions against Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In July 2022, the Russian government issued a statement saying Greece, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, and Denmark were added as well. All G7 member states and all 27 European Union member states are on the list on the list.

Countries added to the Unfriendly Countries List are subject to certain restrictions related to their relationships with Russia, including trade and currency restrictions and hiring limits in the listed countries' diplomatic missions in Russia.

Restrictions against listed countries and regions

The legal basis for instituting sanctions against countries deemed "unfriendly" to Russia was initially passed in June 2018 with a menu of available countermeasures, including import and export restrictions, suspension or termination of international cooperation, or privatization of state assets, but no specific targets were listed. When the United States and the Czech Republic were added to the list in April 2021, Russia restricted the numbers of local employees that could be hired by the two countries' diplomatic missions in Russia. The Czech Republic's embassy could only hire 19 Russian employees, while the United States embassy could not hire any. 

In March 2022, in retaliation to sanctions imposed against Russia in response to their invasion of Ukraine, Russia added an additional 48 countries that had imposed sanctions against it to the Unfriendly Countries List. Debtors from countries on the list who sought to receive payments on the debt were required to open a special bank account at a Russian bank to receive payments in Russia's currency, rubles,  rather than another international currency. In addition, all new corporate deals between Russian companies and entities in countries on the Unfriendly Countries List had to seek approval from a government commission.

Putin announced several weeks later that Russia would only accept the ruble as payment for Russia's natural gas exports to countries on the Unfriendly Countries List. As a result of the freezing of Russian Central Bank foreign reserves in Euros and Dollars by the unfriendly countries, in addition to the SWIFT ban on Dollar and Euro transfers to or from a large portion of the Russian banking sector, Russia no longer considered payment in Dollars and Euros via foreign accounts viable. Russian Gazprombank and Rosneftbank were spared from the SWIFT sanctions to allow payments for Russian gas and oil to be processed to Gazprom and Rosneft. However Russia still faced a risk that Dollar or Euro energy payments stored in these banks might also be frozen there in a future SWIFT ban extension. With the requirement to pay in Rubles this is forestalled. Putin said that as a result, it "made no sense" to receive payments in other currencies. In addition the international sanctions against Russia caused the value of the ruble to plummet. The European Union, which was added to the list, relies on Russia for 40% of its natural gas imports, and forcing payments in rubles could help to inflate the demand for and value of the currency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree introducing visa restrictions for citizens from "unfriendly countries," a decision made in retaliation to hostile measures taken by the European Union, the Kremlin said on April 4, 2022. According to the decree, Russia will partially suspend its simplified visa agreements with EU member countries along with Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The Kremlin said that the decree also ordered the country's foreign ministry to impose individual entry restrictions on foreigners and stateless persons who commit hostile acts against Russia, its citizens or legal entities.

Russia banned the export of inert gases including neon and helium to "unfriendly countries" on May 31, 2022. This was a counter sanction which followed a ban on electronics exports to Russia.

On 22 July 2022, Russia added added Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Slovakia and Slovenia individually to the list, separate from the European Union. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated that the list is now made up of countries that "adopted actions that are unfriendly toward Russia and particularly against Russia’s diplomatic and consular representations abroad." The Danish embassy in Russia has been limited to 20 staff, the Greek embassy to 34 and the Slovak embassy to 16. Additionally, the Croat and Slovene embassies "will not be able to hire employees in their diplomatic missions and consular offices".

On 24 July 2022, Russia added Bahamas, Guernsey and the Isle of Man to the list.

On 22 July 2022, Russia added Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Slovakia and Slovenia individually to the list, separate from the European Union. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated that the list is now made up of countries that "adopted actions that are unfriendly toward Russia and particularly against Russia’s diplomatic and consular representations abroad." The Danish embassy in Russia has been limited to 20 staff, the Greek embassy to 34 and the Slovak embassy to 16. Additionally, the Croat and Slovene embassies "will not be able to hire employees in their diplomatic missions and consular offices".

On 24 July 2022, Russia added Bahamas, Guernsey and Isle of Man to the list.

Unfriendly Countries List

1. Albania
2. Andorra
3. Anguilla
4. Australia
5. Austria
6. Bahamas
7. Belgium
8. British Virgin Islands
9. Bulgaria
10. Canada
11. Croatia
12. Czech Republic
13. Denmark
14. Estonia
15. European Union
16. Finland
17. France
18. Germany
19. Gibraltar
20. Greece
21. Guernsey
22. Hungary
23. Iceland
24. Ireland
25. Isle of Man
26. Italy
27. Japan
28. Jersey
29. Latvia
30. Liechtenstein
31. Lithuania
32. Luxembourg
33. Malta
34. Micronesia
35. Monaco
36. Montenegro
37. Netherlands
38. New Zealand
39. North Macedonia
40. Norway
41. Poland
42. Portugal
43. Republic of Cyprus
44. Romania
45. San Marino
46. Singapore
47. Slovakia
48. Slovenia
49. South Korea
50. Spain
51. Sweden
52. Switzerland
53. Taiwan
54. Ukraine
55. United Kingdom
56. United States