EU prepares 16th package of sanctions against Russia on the third anniversary of its all-out war

The European Union intends to adopt the next package of sanctions against Russia on February 24, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

EU to adopt 16th package of sanctions against Russia before February 24 – Welt am Sonntag

The German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on the planned measures, citing its own sources among Brussels’ diplomatic circles. This will be the 16th package of EU sanctions in connection with Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

Informed EU diplomats said that this package should send a “clear signal” to Moscow and will contain “measures against specific sectors of the Russian economy that have not been covered at all or have been covered insufficiently.” 

In addition, the 16th package of sanctions will include further sanctions against individuals and organizations “considered propagandists of the Russian regime and responsible for undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

Possible sanctions for involvement in Russia’s hybrid attacks and disinformation

The European Commission and the European External Action Service also plan to impose a travel ban and freeze the assets of individuals who spied for Russia and participated in disinformation campaigns, including in Germany.

At the same time, Brussels stated that it would be “difficult” to trace the involvement of individuals in the so-called hybrid Russian attacks and prove their involvement in the crime. For this reason, it has not yet been decided whether this package will include sanctions for spying for Russia and pro-Kremlin disinformation.

EU’s 15th package of sanctions against Russia

On December 16, the EU Council adopted the 15th package of sanctions against Russia.

Specifically, the EU Council banned 52 more vessels from the Russian “shadow fleet” from accessing ports and certain maritime services. All these ships are registered in third countries. This brings the total number of vessels under sanctions to 79.

The EU noted that this measure is aimed at tankers from non-EU countries that are part of Putin’s shadow fleet, which circumvent the mechanism of limiting oil prices or support Russia’s energy sector, or vessels responsible for transporting military equipment for Russia or involved in the transportation of Russia-stolen Ukrainian grain.

The EU sanctioned 52 vessels originating from third countries on these grounds. 

The EU said that these measures are intended to counteract the circumvention of EU sanctions by targeting Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s shadow fleet and weaken the Russian military-industrial complex. In total, the sanctions package includes 54 individuals and 30 organizations.

For the first time, the EU has imposed “full” sanctions (travel ban, asset freeze, and ban on providing economic resources) on various Chinese entities that supply drone and microelectronic components to support Russia’s war aggression against Ukraine.

The EU Council also added 32 new entities to the list of those directly supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex.

Some of these organizations are located in third countries—China, India, Iran, Serbia, and the UAE—and have been involved in circumventing sanctions or procuring drones and missiles for Russia.

Sanctions for Russia’s destabilizing actions abroad

Also, on December 16, the Council of the European Union for the first time in history imposed restrictive measures against 16 individuals and three legal entities responsible for Russia’s destabilizing actions abroad.

The blacklist includes Unit 29155 of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff (GRU), which is involved in assassinations abroad and destabilizing actions such as bombings and cyberattacks across Europe.

The EU has also imposed sanctions on the Pan-African Trade and Investment Group, a disinformation network that conducts pro-Russian covert influence operations in Africa, and its founder, Harouna Douamba.

The EU sanctions were imposed on the African Initiative, a news agency that spreads Russian propaganda and disinformation in Africa, its editor-in-chief and an employee of the Russian Federal Security Service, Artem Kureev, and a senior GRU official who, after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, took over the leadership of the Wagner Group’s operations in Africa.

Additionally, the EU Council imposed sanctions against Russian presidential administration official Sofia Zakharova and the head and founder of the state corporation Struktura, Nikolai Tupikin, as part of the fight against Russia’s Doppelganger disinformation campaign.