EU prepares largest sanctions expansion against Russia: 1,650 individuals and companies targeted

Record scale of restrictive measures

Representatives of European Union member states plan to approve around 1,650 new sanctions designations against Russia on Wednesday. This became known from Reuters sources among European diplomats. This package, developed by the European External Action Service, will become the largest one-time expansion of EU sanctions lists since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Blow to the defence industry

The main focus of the new package is on the Russian military-industrial complex. Around 1,570 individuals and organisations subject to restrictions are linked to enterprises and structures of the military-industrial complex. According to Reuters, more than half of them directly concern missile production. The EU hopes that this will increase pressure on chains related to the production of weapons and military products.

Approval procedure and consequences

After the approval of new positions at the ambassadorial level, EU countries will pass them to the foreign ministers of member states. Final approval of the package is expected next Monday. Once these measures enter into force, the total number of individuals and organisations subject to the main EU sanctions against Russia will exceed 3,000.

For comparison: the previous comprehensive, 21st EU sanctions package was approved in July. The new package differs significantly in scale, as it involves almost 1,650 new designations, a significant part of which is focused specifically on the Russian defence industry.