The European Union (EU) has approved the 16th package of anti-Russian sanctions, coinciding with the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The new list of sanctioned entities includes several companies from Kazakhstan, as they allegedly support «Russia’s military-industrial complex.»
In addition, the EU has added 53 new entities to the list of those directly supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
«A third of these entities are Russian, while the others are located in third countries (including China, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan) and have been involved in circumventing trade restrictions or procuring sensitive items needed, for instance, for UAVs and missiles used in Russian military operations,» the European Council said in a statement.
Sanctions have also targeted 48 individuals and 35 entities responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine. New restrictions also target 74 non-EU tankers that are part of Putin’s shadow fleet, which is circumventing the oil price cap mechanism, while 13 regional banks in Russia have been prohibited from accessing specialized financial messaging services (SPFS).
The European Council has also suspended the broadcasting licenses of eight Russian media outlets under the permanent control of the Russian leadership. These include EADaily / Eurasia Daily, Fondsk, Lenta, NewsFront, RuBaltic, SouthFront, Strategic Culture Foundation, and Krasnaya Zvezda / Tvzvezda.
«This new round of sanctions not only targets the Russian shadow fleet but also those who support the operation of unsafe oil tankers, use video game controllers to pilot drones, employ banks to circumvent our sanctions, and propaganda outlets that spread lies. Every sanctions package deprives the Kremlin of funds to wage war,» said High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU Kaja Kallas.
Since the war in Ukraine began, the EU and the U.S. have imposed sanctions against ten Kazakhstani companies, accusing them of exporting dual-use goods to Russia. All these entities still operate within the country.
