This tenth package of sanctions against Moscow since the Russian invasion attempt began was approved on Friday, the anniversary of the offensive.
How to push back Vladimir Putin and his troops? The question also arises a year after the Russian army attempted to invade Ukraine. The European Union on Friday February 24, on the anniversary of the offensive, passed a new round of sanctions against Russia aimed at undermining its military capabilities and increasing pressure on its economy. This tenth plan, the scope of which the commission says has never been reached since the beginning of the war, was officially adopted on Saturday. Franceinfo summarizes its main actions for you.
Iranian companies sanctioned for making drones
Not all destinations from Brussels are in Russia. Among the bodies affected by this new series of sanctions are seven Iranian organizations, explains the European Commission (in English). All of them “manufacture unmanned military aerial vehicles”, i.e. the Iranian demolition drones that Tehran is supplying to Moscow to equip its army in Ukraine. This underscores the importance of these kamikaze drones to the Russian army.
Export ban for new goods
The list of goods exported from the EU to Russia is growing. It is now expanding to include commodities such as electronics, specialty vehicles, mechanical parts, truck and airplane engine spares, antennas, cranes, drones, rare earth materials, circuit boards, electronics and thermal imaging cameras.
If these sanctions aim to punish Russia by affecting its economy, part of these goods will also be destined for the military use that can be made of them. The press release from Brussels explains that certain goods from the “construction sector can be sent to the Russian army”.
New electronic components have also been included in the restricted goods list as they can contribute to the “technological improvement” of the Russian military sector. In the past, Russia has primarily been accused of attempting to procure electronic chips for its armaments by importing household appliances.
Officials responsible for deporting Ukrainian children targeted
According to Josep Borrell, the head of EU diplomacy, the sanctions imposed on Saturday will also hit “those responsible for the deportation and forced adoption of at least 6,000 Ukrainian children”. Ukraine and the international community have for months denounced the fate of certain Ukrainian families who were expelled from the occupied territories to Russia and whose children were taken away from them and placed in the care of Russian families.
A total of 121 organizations and individuals were on the latest sanctions list, which includes freezing their assets in the European Union and a visa ban.