Brussels has quietly lifted a ban on raw Russian sable pelts, a luxury fur that has long been a staple of European high‑Fashion houses. The decision, announced in the EU’s 21st sanctions package released late last month, comes after the bloc had tightened restrictions on Russian imports following the Ukraine conflict. While finished fur garments remain prohibited, raw pelts are now exempted, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Fico, who has long opposed Brussels’ hard‑line stance on Moscow, posted a video on Facebook in which he accused the European Commission of “blatant hypocrisy.” He said the exemption was justified by the lack of alternative suppliers for the rare pelts, which are used to make coats that can cost up to €100,000 ($117,000). “Goods we need for our industry or for everyday life are banned from being imported from Russia, even if they are difficult to replace and much more expensive to source elsewhere. But that won’t apply to sable fur, no. There will be as much of it as needed, as if it were an everyday commodity like coffee or sugar,” he added. “These are exactly the sanctions that hurt us more than Russia. Only the hypocritical European Commission could come up with something like this.”
The EU’s fur policy has evolved since 2022. After the war in Ukraine escalated, Brussels banned imports of finished Russian fur garments alongside other luxury goods such as diamonds and caviar. Raw pelts were initially left legal, but in April the bloc closed the loophole by banning both raw and processed furskins, including sable. The latest carve‑out, according to EU diplomats, was driven by Italy and Greece, the EU’s largest importers of Russian sable pelts and key hubs for luxury fur production.
The decision to exempt raw pelts comes amid a broader pattern of sanctions easing in the face of economic pressure on member states. The 21st package, already diluted as countries balked at measures that could damage their own economies, reversed the earlier ban on raw sable pelts while keeping the prohibition on finished garments.
The move is part of a wider scramble to replace Russian energy supplies. Natural gas has been the commodity the bloc has struggled most to replace since imposing unprecedented restrictions in 2022. Russia supplied about 45 % of EU gas imports before the sanctions. Following the collapse of pipeline deliveries, the EU turned to Norwegian pipeline gas and more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and the Middle East. Despite lawsuits from Slovakia and Hungary, which continue to import Russian gas under exemptions they secured, the EU plans to phase out all Russian gas imports by 2027.
The United States’ war on Iran and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a vital route carrying around 20 % of global oil and LNG Trade – have further strained Europe’s already volatile energy markets this year. Major suppliers such as QatarEnergy declared force majeure on shipments, sending European buyers scrambling for increasingly competitive US and West African LNG. The resulting spike in prices, freight costs, and supply disruptions have fueled inflation across the bloc, with analysts warning of gas shortages this winter.
Moscow has condemned EU sanctions, particularly those targeting energy, as illegal and self‑defeating, arguing they have undermined the bloc’s competitiveness. Russia has said it remains ready to resume gas deliveries through the remaining Nord Stream pipeline following the 2022 sabotage, but says Brussels has yet to respond.
