The Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) approved this Monday the largest package of targeted sanctions yetwhich includes nearly 1,600 people and entities linked to the Russian military-industrial complex.
According to the Council of the EU in a statement, the measure responds to “Russia’s continued and intensifying aggression against Ukraine, and in particular its recent brutal military campaign that deliberately targets civilian infrastructure and is causing serious suffering to the civilian population.”
More than 1,500 people and entities sanctioned
The Council adopted a prior political agreement to impose additional restrictive measures against 1,569 people and entities belonging to the Russian military-industrial complexwhich include 826 companies and 743 people who hold the position of CEO in those firms. This is the largest list approved in one go so far, and brings the total number of inclusions under the sanctions regime in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity to nearly 4,600.
The head of community diplomacy, Kaja Kallashas indicated that more than half of the sanctions affect the production chain of the ballistic missiles that Russia uses against Ukrainian civilians. “Bombing kyiv’s bridges, grain ships and the National Academy of Sciences are not the actions of a country seeking peace. This is not the time to relieve pressure on Moscow, but to increase it.”
For his part, the president of the European Council, Antonio Costaassures on social networks that Moscow’s actions “will not weaken” the EU’s determination and that they will continue to “intensify pressure until Russia sits at the negotiating table and demonstrates a genuine commitment to ending the war” in Ukraine.
The core of the Russian military industry
The approved package of measures is specifically aimed at mid-level suppliers who constitute the “core” of the Russian military industryaccording to the Council of the Union, with an annual turnover of at least 20 billion euros and more than 250,000 employees.
The Council indicated that the companies included on the list are suppliers of key components for some of Russia’s most advanced weapons systemsincluding missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft.
Such key components include: electronic components, including semiconductors, microcircuits and computers; communications equipment, including radars, antennas and transceivers; aviation, satellite and missile systems; explosives and ammunition; and optical and navigation systems.
Asset freeze and EU travel ban
The persons and entities included in this sanctions regime are subject to a asset freeze and they are prohibited from providing funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly. Furthermore, it applies a EU travel ban to the natural persons included on the list.
