gas would soon be completely banned, as the Alpine nation aligns itself with the latest round of EU sanctions. "From 25 April, a complete ban on the purchase and import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) will apply in Switzerland," the government said in a statement. It added though that in the case of pre-existing long-term supply contracts, a transition period would apply until the end of the year. "The measure aims to reduce Russia's revenues from the sale of fossil fuels, which are a major source of funding for the war against Ukraine," it said.

The move was among a number of measures adopted by the Swiss government on Wednesday to align with the European Union's 19th package of sanctions against Russia, adopted by the bloc late last year. Non-EU member Switzerland has since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago matched the bloc's economic sanctions on Russia. Bern said Wednesday it had decided on other measures in the financial sector which will come into force this week, including a ban on providing cryptocurrency services to Russian citizens and companies.

Transactions involving certain rouble-backed cryptocurrencies, such as stablecoin A7A5 have also been banned, the government said, adding that it had also extended the ban on using certain specialised messaging services for payment transactions. Among other measures decided Wednesday was tightening restrictions on Russian diplomats accredited in the EU, who will now need to give advance notice if they transit through or enter Switzerland. (Bssnews)