EU foreign ministers on Monday formally adopted the bloc’s largest-ever expansion of its Russia sanctions blacklist, targeting nearly 1,600 people and companies linked to the country’s military-industrial complex.
The measures, initially agreed by EU envoys last week, add 826 Russian companies and 743 executives to the blacklist.
“Over half address the production chain for the ballistic missiles Russia uses to kill Ukrainian civilians every day,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
The companies supply components for Russian missiles, drones and aircraft, including explosives, ammunition, semiconductors and computers, according to the EU.
The bloc said they represent the “core” of the Russian military industry, employing more than a quarter-million people and generating an annual turnover of at least 20 billion euros ($22.3 billion).
The EU also sanctioned 74 State Duma lawmakers and three members of Russia’s Central Election Commission over their involvement in parliamentary elections held in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
Separately, three people and four entities in North Korea were sanctioned over Pyongyang’s growing military and economic cooperation with Moscow.
Those listed face EU asset freezes, while EU citizens and companies are barred from making funds available to them. Sanctioned individuals also face travel bans across the 27-member bloc.
The latest additions bring the total number of people and entities under EU sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine to nearly 4,600.
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