The European Union Approves New Sanctions Package Against Russia

On Wednesday, February 21, EU members approved the thirteenth sanctions package related to Ukraine against Russia, targeting nearly 200 entities and individuals accused of assisting Moscow in weapon procurement or involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children. The official Belgian account on the social media platform 'X', which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, announced the agreement among members regarding this new sanctions package within the framework of 'Russia's aggression against Ukraine'. According to EU diplomatic sources, the new package includes 193 entities and individuals who are banned from traveling and trading with EU member countries, but there are no new measures against specific economic sectors. These sources stated that the focus of this list is primarily on individuals active in Russia's military industry or involved in the trafficking and abduction of Ukrainian children. The names of two companies from North Korea and Belarus are also included in this new sanctions list. The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court stated last year that Russia had abducted 'at least hundreds' of children from orphanages and care centers in occupied areas of Ukraine and transferred them to Russia. According to him, 'many' of these Ukrainian children have been placed for adoption with Russian families. The International Criminal Court has accused senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, of committing 'war crimes' for the abduction of Ukrainian children. Moscow, while rejecting these accusations, claims that these children fled from war zones to Russia and that there was no coercion involved. Kyiv claims that Russia has transferred over four thousand Ukrainian children to Russia. The new EU sanctions also focus on the supply chain supporting the Russian army, particularly the supply chain for drone manufacturing. This list also includes 27 companies operating in various fields, and other European companies are prohibited from selling dual-use goods to them. Most of these companies are Russian, but the names of three Chinese companies and one company based in Hong Kong are also on the list. This sanctions package will be officially approved on the second anniversary of the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 (March 5). Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wrote on the social media platform 'X': 'We must continue to degrade Putin's war machine.' She added: 'We will also cut off Russia's access to drones.' In addition to the above, EU ambassadors extended the current sanctions against Russia for six months, which includes a list of about two thousand individuals and companies.