EU Adopts 17th Sanctions Package Against Russia Amid Ukraine Ceasefire

The European Council has approved its 17th sanctions package against Russia to put restrictive measures on various individuals and entities.

It mainly focuses on restricting the revenue coming from the energy sector, as it fuels the aggressive assault of Russia on Ukraine and limits its access to vital military technology.

The current 17th package is part of a broader set of EU sanctions that target hybrid actions and domestic human rights violations by Russia.

The Council also imposed restrictive measures on three entities belonging to the Russian Armed Forces, responsible for the development and use of illegal war means in Ukraine.  

The recent sanctions by the European Council have now covered 75 additional designations (17 individuals and 58 businesses) and reached almost 2,400 people and organizations that threaten the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

These individuals and organizations are currently facing travel bans, asset freezes, and restrictions on the flow of money.

There are almost 189 vessels originating from third countries that are sanctioned and resulting in an increase in the number of total sanctioned vessels to 342.

The EU has further levied specific sanctions on the shadow fleet ecosystem, targeting shipping firms and a significant insurer from countries including Hong Kong, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

“This round of sanctions on Russia is the most wide-sweeping since the start of the war, together with new hybrid, human rights, and chemical weapons-related sanctions. In this 17th package, we include Surgutneftegas – a Russian oil giant – as well as almost 200 vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet,” she further added.

Surgutneftegaz, which is a significant oil shipping company of Russia, has also been subject to strict measures from the EU.

There are more than 45 Russian businesses and individuals identified who supplied drones, guns, ammunition, military hardware, vital components, and logistical assistance to the Russian army.  These penalties have also targeted them specifically.

The EU has also broadened its sanctions to cover the industries from Belarus, Israel, and three Chinese companies that are simultaneously helping the Russian military, as well as economic enablers involving Russian and Chinese companies that supply machine tools.

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The Council has further imposed strict export restrictions on 31 additional organizations that belong to Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan in an effort to curtail the military and industrial complexes of Russia.

The EU introduced further export restrictions on those goods contributing particularly to the military and technological enhancement of Russia.

The European Council reaffirmed its condemnation of the Russian war of aggression and commitment to supporting Ukraine and is prepared to put pressure on Russia, including  adopting further sanctions.

As per the EU Adopts 17th Sanctions Package, it is part of a broader EU effort to hold Russia accountable for multiple aggressive and human rights violations that will strengthen the overall pressure through targeted measures.