Today 25 February, the European Union adopted a new sanctions package to make restrictive measures imposed on Russia stronger and more severe, raising the cost of the aggression by more than €11 billion, and sanctioning more than 100 individuals and entities.
“Estonia and the European Union continue to work to make sanctions as severe and efficient as possible, and affect the sectors that Russia relies on the most in financing its aggression against Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said. The minister added that this package cannot be the last, and Estonia and the European Union would continue to impose stronger sanctions on Russia.
With the 10th sanctions package, the European Union is restricting Russia’s ability to develop its military industry and economy.
Export bans expand to rare earth minerals, electronic components, machinery and parts of machinery, lorries, lenses and cameras and other products and technology Ukraine has found in Russian military equipment. Import bans expand to goods that bring more than €1 billion in profits to Russia, including asphalt, bitumen and various rubber products.
On Estonia’s proposal, the European Union is banning the transit of sanctioned dual-use goods and weapons through Russia to third countries, mainly Central Asia, to prevent sanctions evasion.
87 individuals and 34 companies are added to the sanctions list, including propagandists, military staff, politicians, leading figures of annexed territories and the Wagner Group, people responsible for deporting Ukrainian children and supplying Russia with Iranian drones, defence industry companies, shipping companies and, on Estonia’s proposal, three large Russian banks. With the most recent restrictive measures, nearly 1700 individuals and entities have been sanctioned for undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Sanctions will apply to two television stations – RT Arabic and Sputnik Arabic –, which are spreading Russian propaganda. Additionally, Russian citizens are no longer allowed to belong in the management of companies providing critical services in the European Union. Russian natural persons and legal entities cannot store gas in underground storage facilities in the European Union.
In order to identify assets owned by the Russian Central Bank, the central banks and financial sector of the European Union must begin notifying the European Commission of the location of assets. This helps the European Commission and competent authorities of member states to get an overview of these assets and contributes to work aimed at using frozen Russian assets for reconstruction in Ukraine.
Since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, the European Union has continued to impose stricter sanctions against Russia. Ten sanctions packages have been imposed so far, aimed at raising the cost of the aggression for Russia and, with other foreign policy measures, pressure Russia into ending its aggression in Ukraine.
All sanctions will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Additional information on sanctions on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
EU sanctions map
Information site of the Council of the European Union
