This tenth set of sanctions targeting Moscow since the start of the Russian invasion attempt was approved on Friday, the anniversary of the offensive.
How to roll back Vladimir Putin and his troops? The question continues to arise, a year after the Russian army launched an attempt to invade Ukraine. The European Union adopted a new round of sanctions against Russia, aimed at undermining its military capabilities and increasing pressure on its economy, on the anniversary of the offensive, Friday, February 24 . This tenth plan, of a scale never reached since the start of the war according to the Commission, was formally adopted on Saturday. Franceinfo summarizes its main measures for you.
Iranian entities sanctioned for manufacturing drones
Not all of Brussels’ targets are in Russia. Among the entities concerned by this new set of sanctions, there are seven Iranian organizations, details the European Commission (in English). All “manufacture unmanned military aerial vehicles”, that is to say the Iranian explosive drones that Tehran supplies to Moscow to equip its army in Ukraine. This underlines the importance of these kamikaze drones for the Russian army.
New goods banned from export
The list of goods whose export from the EU to Russia is growing. It is now extended to goods such as electronics, specialized vehicles, mechanical parts, spare parts for truck and aircraft engines, antennas, cranes, drones, rare earth materials, circuits electronics and thermal cameras.
If these sanctions aim to punish Russia by affecting its economy, part of these goods is also targeted for the military use which can be made of them. The press release from Brussels thus explains that certain properties of the “construction sector can be directed to the Russian army”.
New electronic components have also been added to the list of restricted goods, as they can contribute to “technological improvement” of the Russian military sector. In the past, Russia has notably been accused of trying to obtain electronic chips for its armament by importing household appliances.
Officials responsible for the deportation of Ukrainian children targeted
Josep Borrell, the head of EU diplomacy, says the sanctions formalized on Saturday will also affect “those responsible for the deportation and forced adoption of at least 6,000 Ukrainian children”. Ukraine and the international community have been denouncing for months the fate of certain Ukrainian families displaced in Russia from occupied territories, whose children have been taken away from them and entrusted to Russian families.
A total of 121 entities and individuals were on the latest sanctions list, which entails a freeze on their assets in the European Union and a visa ban.