On Friday, the EU Council adopted an 11th package of economic and individual restrictive measures aimed at strengthening existing European Union sanctions and preventing their circumvention, thus further undermining Putin’s war machine and his revenues, News.ro reported.

“Our sanctions have already greatly affected the Russian economy and the Kremlin’s ability to finance its aggression. Today’s package of measures increases our pressure on Russia and Putin’s military machine. By fighting sanctions evasion, we are maximizing pressure on Russia, further depriving it of the resources it so desperately needs to continue its illegal war against Ukraine,” said Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the press reported. EU Council release.

Anti-circumvention tool

In order to cope with the increasingly frequent evasion of European sanctions, the EU decided to further strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with third countries, as well as the provision of technical assistance.

Only in those cases where cooperation does not produce the expected results, the EU will take swift, proportionate and concrete measures, which have the sole purpose of depriving Russia of the resources that allow it to continue its aggressive war against Ukraine, in the form of appropriate individual measures to attract operators from third countries to bypass promotion.

The European Union will resume a constructive dialogue with the third country in question following the adoption of such individual measures.

If, despite the individual sanctions and additional obligations, circumvention remains substantial and systemic, the EU will be able to take extreme exceptional measures. In this case, the Council of the EU can unanimously adopt a decision to limit the sale, supply, transfer or export of goods and technologies, the export of which to Russia is already prohibited, in particular military products and technologies to third countries whose jurisdiction has been proven. long-term and particularly high risk of being used for evasion.

Prohibition of transit

To further minimize the risk of sanctions evasion, Friday’s decision prohibits the transit through Russia of a number of goods and technologies that could contribute to Russia’s military and technological consolidation or the development of the defense or security sector, goods and technologies intended for use in the aviation or space industries , as well as aviation fuel and fuel additives exported from the EU to third countries.

Control and restriction of import and export

The Council of the EU has added 87 more entities to the list of entities that directly support Russia’s military-industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine. They are subject to stricter export restrictions on dual-use goods and technologies.

The list includes four Iranian companies that manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and supply them to Russia, other third-party organizations engaged in circumventing trade restrictions, as well as some Russian companies engaged in the development, production and supply of electronic components for the military and industrial complex of Russia.

In addition, Friday’s decision expands the list of prohibited goods that can contribute to the technological improvement of Russia’s defense and security sector, including: electronic components, semiconductor materials, equipment for the production and testing of integrated electronic circuits and printed circuit boards, precursors of energy materials and precursors of chemical weapons, optical components, navigational instruments, defense metals and marine equipment.

speech

In order to counter the Russian Federation’s systematic international campaign of media manipulation and distortion of facts aimed at strengthening its strategy of destabilizing neighboring countries, the EU and its member states, the Council of the European Union extended the suspension of broadcast licenses to five more individuals. Media: RT Balkan, Oriental Review, Tsargrad, New Eastern Outlook and Katehon.

According to the mentioned source, these institutions are under the constant control, directly or indirectly, of the leadership of the Russian Federation and have been used by it for constant and concerted propaganda actions directed against civil society in the EU and neighboring countries, seriously. distortion and manipulation of facts.

In particular, propaganda repeatedly and consistently targeted European political parties, especially during elections, as well as civil society, asylum seekers, Russian ethnic minorities, gender minorities, and the functioning of democratic institutions in the EU and its member states.

In accordance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, these measures will not prevent these media organizations and their employees from carrying out activities in the EU other than broadcasting, such as research and interviews.

Roads and ports

The EU extended the ban on the transportation of goods in the European Union by road to trailers and semi-trailers registered in Russia, including trucks registered outside of Russia.

In addition, in view of the sudden increase in fraud cases involving vessels carrying crude oil and petroleum products, the EU Council decided to prohibit access to EU ports and locks to all vessels engaged in ship-to-ship exchanges, if the competent authorities have valid reasons to suspect that the vessel or violates the ban on the import of Russian crude oil and petroleum products by sea to the EU, or transports Russian crude oil or petroleum products purchased above the maximum price agreed by the Price Restraint Coalition.

The same prohibition will apply to vessels if the competent authorities have reasonable grounds to suspect that they are illegally interfering with, or otherwise disabling their navigation system during the transportation of Russian crude oil and petroleum products, which is a violation of international agreements, norms and standards.

Energy

The temporary exception granted to Germany and Poland for the supply of crude oil from Russia through the northern section of the Druzhba pipeline is ending. However, oil originating from Kazakhstan or another third country will still be able to transit through Russia and be imported into the EU through the Druzhba pipeline.

Individual lists

In addition to economic sanctions, the EU Council decided to include a significant number of additional individuals and organizations in the list.

In the conclusions of the European Council dated March 23 this year, the EU repeated the resolution condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which is a violation of the UN Charter. The EU also confirmed its readiness to increase pressure on Russia, including by taking additional restrictive measures.

The conclusions of the European Council also emphasized the importance and urgency of efforts to enforce sanctions at the European and national levels. The European Union strongly supports Ukraine and will continue to provide political, economic, military, financial and humanitarian support to this country and its people as long as necessary.

Moscow’s reaction

Russia announced on Friday that it had “significantly expanded” the list of European officials it bans from entering Russian territory, in response to the European Union (EU) imposing an 11th package of sanctions against Moscow over Russia’s war in Ukraine , reports AFP. .

“We consider these EU measures (as) illegitimate,” the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned in a press release.

“In response to these hostile initiatives, the Russian side significantly expanded the list of representatives of European institutions and EU member states” who are prohibited from entering the territory of the Russian Federation, Russian diplomacy reports.

However, Moscow does not specify the number of people targeted.