Between February 22, 2022, and January 11, 2024, territories and organizations worldwide imposed over 16,000 restrictions on individuals from Russia. Furthermore, roughly 9,300 list-based sanctions were placed on entities over that period. The sanctions were first placed due to the country's recognition of the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) and then due to its military attack on Ukraine. Restrictions targeting individuals typically include asset freezes and travel bans.

Over the past decade, Western countries have placed restrictions on Russia for various reasons. In 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, the EU restricted entry to several individuals and froze assets of companies allegedly responsible for undermining and threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity. Furthermore, the EU and the U.S. sanctioned several persons and companies in relation to human rights violations and the use of chemical weapons, referring to the poisonings of Sergei and Yulia Skripal and Alexei Navalny. In addition, the United States imposed measures on Russia over its malicious cyber activities and evading United Nations (UN) sanctions restricting trade and financial transactions with North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela.