The EU has added 53 new companies to the list of those who directly support the Russian military-industrial complex in the war against Ukraine.
“A third of these entities are Russian, while the others are located in third countries (China, including Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan). They have been involved in circumventing trade restrictions or procuring sensitive goods necessary for UAVs and missiles used in Russian military operations,” the statement said.
Sanctions have also been imposed against 48 individuals and 35 legal entities for threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine. The sanctions include 74 tankers from Russia's shadow fleet that transport Russian oil to bypass the restrictions. An additional 13 Russian banks have been disconnected from the SWIFT payment system.
Furthermore, eight media outlets that are “under constant control of the Russian leadership” have been banned from broadcasting in Europe. These include EADaily / Eurasia Daily, Fondsk, Lenta, NewsFront, RuBaltic, SouthFront, Strategic Culture Foundation, and Krasnaya Zvezda / Tvzvezda.
“This new round of sanctions targets not only the Russian shadow fleet but also those who support the operation of unsafe oil tankers, game controllers used for managing drones, banks used to circumvent our sanctions, and propaganda channels used to spread lies. Each package of sanctions deprives the Kremlin of resources for waging war,” stated EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, the US and the European Union have begun to impose sanctions on Kazakh companies suspected of transporting dual-use goods to Russia. “Kursiv” learned about the fate of ten of these companies. All firms continue to operate within the country.