On Monday, August 3rd, the European Union received 1.4 billion euros in extraordinary profits generated by the interest on cash balances from the immobilized assets of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) held by central securities depositories (CSD).
The receipt of this amount represents the fifth transfer of this kind, following a fourth tranche delivered in March 2026. It covers the income accumulated during the first half of 2026. Since their immobilization, Russian assets have generated a total of 8 billion euros in extraordinary profits.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has stated that “Russia must pay for the destruction it has caused. We are using the income from the immobilized Russian assets to ensure that this happens. We will make an additional 1.4 billion euros available to Ukraine from these assets. This way, Ukraine can continue to resist Russia’s illegal war.”
These funds come from CBR assets immobilized under EU sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. While the assets themselves remain immobilized, the interest on the cash balances does not belong to Russia and, at the proposal of the Commission and the High Representative, the Council decided that these net profits should be used to support Ukraine. This measure is part of the EU’s ongoing commitment to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.
95% of the income will be used to support Ukraine through the Ukraine Cooperation Mechanism for Loans and 5% through the European Peace Facility (EPF). The Mechanism provides non-repayable aid to help Ukraine repay the EU macro-financial assistance loan disbursed throughout 2025, as well as loans granted by G7 bilateral lenders under the G7 extraordinary income acceleration loan initiative. The total aid under these loans amounts to 45 billion euros. On the other hand, the EPF helps Ukraine address its most urgent military and defense needs.
