The Central Bank of Lithuania has removed four Russian-owned companies from its payment system, Reuters reports.

The system, which serves as a gateway for European SEPA payments in euros, is used by 150 payment companies in 18 European countries, according to the central bank.

This is a response to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, international sanctions against Russia by the European Union and other countries, and to prevent attempts to circumvent them, the Central Bank said in a statement.

The loss of access to the Lithuanian central bank system means that four companies will not be able to access SEPA payments, the central bank said.