Luxembourg/Brussels. The European Union has adopted the largest individual sanctions list against Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The decision by EU foreign ministers, adopted on October 12 in Luxembourg, came as a clear response to Washington, which had eased its own sanctions a few days earlier in exchange for a diesel deal with the Kremlin. tagesschau reports.
1,600 new entries on the sanctions list
According to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, more than 1,600 individuals and organizations have been added to the list. “We are consistently continuing our course. One thing is clear: only continuously increasing pressure on Russia works,” she emphasized.
The majority of the new entries relate to the Russian military-industrial complex. Approximately half are companies and individuals linked to the production of ballistic missiles, which Russia uses to attack Ukrainian cities daily. Others include suppliers of key components for drones and aircraft: radars, antennas and receivers, explosives and ammunition, optics and navigation systems.
From now on, listed individuals and entities are barred from entering the EU and conducting business there, and their assets are frozen. The 984-page document has already been published in the Official Journal of the EU, meaning the sanctions are now in force.
Sanctions target participants in “elections” on occupied territories and North Koreans
The list also includes 77 Russian politicians accused of participating in illegal State Duma elections on occupied Ukrainian territories. Separate sanctions have been imposed on seven individuals and organizations from North Korea linked to the war against Ukraine.
In total, the list of sanctioned individuals and entities linked to Russia has grown to approximately 4,500 entries. In addition, the EU has already adopted 21 major sanctions packages against Russia, and discussions on the 22nd are ongoing in Brussels.
Contrast with US policy
The EU's decision coincides with a new crisis in relations between Kyiv and Washington. US President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Vladimir Putin on the import of Russian diesel — the first since March 2022 — and suspended corresponding US sanctions. Ahead of the early November congressional elections, he aims to lower fuel prices while simultaneously demanding that Ukraine stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure — one of Kyiv's few effective tools.
German State Minister for European Affairs Günter Krings, who represented Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Luxembourg, emphasized: every euro or dollar flowing into Russia for energy is converted into new weapons against Ukraine. “In this sense, we are taking a different path,” he said. Wadephul had already assured in Berlin that Germany will continue to support the Ukrainian government and President Zelenskyy.
“A trillion euros that won’t go to war”
Kallas is convinced that the sanctions are working, even as Russia continues the war with full force. According to her, the restrictions have already deprived Moscow of approximately one trillion euros. Measures against the so-called “shadow fleet” have significantly complicated the financing of the war. Although Russia is seeking new ways to circumvent sanctions, the EU is responding increasingly quickly and flexibly, Kallas said.
Next step: sanctions for sabotage in Europe
Ministers also discussed Russian sabotage operations on European soil. Following the thwarted drone attack attempt in Leipzig, the German government proposed adding around 25 more individuals and entities to the sanctions list. A legal review of these entries is still underway, but Berlin expects at least political agreement from its partners.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was also present at the meeting. Discussions included, among other things, better protection for Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports, as Russia has intensified attacks on ships and grain storage facilities.
What this means for Ukrainians in Germany
For Ukrainians living in Germany, the EU's decision sends an important signal: despite fluctuations in Washington, Europe, and Berlin in particular, is not easing pressure on Russia and remains on Ukraine's side. The new sanctions specifically target the manufacturers of the missiles and drones used to shell Ukrainian cities.
Based on materials from tagesschau.de.