New sanctions decision from the EU to Russia: The most comprehensive package to date

Foreign ministers of EU member states agreed to include approximately 1,600 individuals and organizations in the sanctions list at the EU Foreign Relations Council meeting held in Luxembourg, with a decision that expanded the sanctions against Russia the most at once.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policies Kaja Kallas, in her statement regarding the decision that included 826 companies and 743 individuals, mainly related to Russia's defense industry, to the sanctions list, said, "EU foreign ministers targeted Russia's military industrial complex and added approximately 1,600 new individuals and organizations to the sanctions list.

"This is the largest expansion of our sanctions list at once since Russia started the war," he said. Kallas stated that more than half of the individuals and organizations included in the sanctions are linked to the production of ballistic missiles.

ASSETS OF PERSONS AND ORGANIZATIONS WILL BE FROZEN

In the statement made by the EU Council, it was said: "Thus, the total number of individuals and organizations listed within the scope of the sanctions regime supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity reached approximately 4,600." "Today's package specifically targets mid-tier suppliers, which form the core of the Russian military industry, whose total annual turnover reaches at least 20 billion euros and employs more than 250 thousand people," the statement said.

"The listed companies supply critical components for some of Russia's most advanced weapons systems, including missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft."

In the statement, it was stated that the assets of the individuals and organizations included in the sanctions list will be frozen, direct and indirect transfer of funds or economic resources to them will be prohibited, and the individuals on the list will not be allowed to travel to the EU.