Going beyond the focus on the sanctions´ effectiveness, this article is rather interested in the
investigation of EU internal dynamics of decision-making. Looking at post-Soviet frozen conflicts,
namely Crimea, Eastern Ukraine, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the article analyses the internal
tensions between Russia-friendly and Russia-hawkish states in the EU process of imposing sanction
regimes. Despite potential economic losses and political tensions, in some cases the EU decides and
successfully manages to impose sanctions, whereas in other cases no punitive measures are
undertaken. Comparing cases with and without sanction regimes, this article aims to uncover the
´black box´ behind the EU´s decision to impose sanctions. It aims to analyze why and under what
conditions the EU is ready to resort to sanctions in post-Soviet conflicts.