The European Union agreed on Saturday to impose new sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which would further target officials and organizations accused of supporting war, spreading propaganda or supplying drones, as well as armed forces. The source is accused of restricting trade in products used.
The asset freeze slapped three more Russian banks and seven Iranian "entities" — companies, agencies, political parties or other organizations — that produce military drones that the EU suspects Russia used during the war.
The new measures, proposed by the EU's executive branch three weeks ago, were adopted after much internal wrangling over their exact makeup, and were made public a day after the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. were
The delay, which was minor but symbolically important, is further evidence of how difficult it has become for the 27-nation bloc to identify new targets for sanctions measures that are acceptable to all member states.
The sanctions are aimed at hurting Russia's economy and siphoning off funds for its war effort, but they are also increasingly hurting European economies that are already and continue to suffer from inflation and high energy prices suffered due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Before this latest round of measures, the EU had already targeted around 1,400 Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, government ministers, lawmakers and oligarchs believed to be loyal to the Kremlin, but also officers who They were believed to be responsible for war crimes or targeting civilian infrastructure.
The bloc also froze the assets of more than 170 organizations accused of spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda, from political parties and paramilitary groups to banks, private companies and media outlets.
Russia's energy sector was also affected - particularly oil and coal - and the bloc quickly ended its dependence on Russian natural gas through its own actions and political decisions, as well as retaliation by Moscow.
