EU imposes sanctions on Russian defense minister, 351 lawmakers

BRUSSELS / ANKARA

The European Union on Thursday published a new sanctions package on Russia, targeting among others Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and 351 members of the Duma for violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

“The Council (of the European Union) today adopted a package of measures to respond to the decision by the Russian Federation to proceed with the recognition of the non-government controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine as independent entities, and the subsequent decision to send Russian troops into these areas,” the EU institution, representing member states, said in a statement.

The sanctions are in response to Monday’s moves by Russia, not the larger military intervention that began Thursday, which seems certain to draw a tougher sanctions package.

Following the political agreement reached by EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, the decision was formally adopted on Wednesday.

 Under the decision, 23 people are banned from entering the bloc’s territory and their assets in the EU are also blocked. 

Included on the blacklist are Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Deputy Prime Ministers Dmitry Grigorenko and Marat Khusnullins, and Economic Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, according to the decision published in the EU Official Journal.

It also includes President Vladimir Putin’s chief of staff, six commanders-in-chief, bankers, and oligarchs, as well as other military officials and prominent leaders in state propaganda.

The bloc also forbids EU operators from making funds available for three banks that support Russian operations in the Donetsk and Luhansk territories, or benefit from them, and the so-called “troll factory” in St. Petersburg responsible for a war of disinformation against Ukraine.

A total of 351 members of the Russian State Duma are blacklisted for recognizing the Luhansk and Donetsk regions as independent, which constitutes a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The EU is also introducing a sectoral prohibition on financing the Russian Federation, its government, and the Central Bank.

“By restraining the ability of the Russian state and government to access the EU’s capital and financial markets and services, the EU aims to limit the financing of escalatory and aggressive policies,” the statement added.

In addition, the EU is banning imports from the non-government-controlled enclaves of Luhansk and Donetsk and restricting trade and investment in certain sectors for EU operators.

Later on Thursday, Russia vowed to react harshly to the EU's decision to impose sanctions on the country.

“In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, which is fundamental to international law, we will take tough response measures,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“The EU has decided to support the illegitimate US practice of imposing unilateral restrictive measures on Russia,” said the statement.

Underlining that the decisions are “contrary to internationally accepted rules”, the statement said: “As a reminder, the Western countries do not have a monopoly on international law or the driving forces behind international development.”

EU sanctions regimes against Russia

The bloc has applied various sanctions regimes in response to the crisis in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

One of the blacklists targets the Russian financial, military, and energy sector for its destabilizing activities in Ukraine.

The measures limit the access of certain Russian banks and companies to the bloc’s capital markets, ban EU operators from providing services to Russian financial institutions, and restrict the trade of defense-related goods and sensitive technologies that can be used in the Russian energy sector.

Another regime punishes those responsible for violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and Moscow’s reluctance to fully implement the Minsk agreement meant to establish a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine.

A third list sanctions the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, targeting financial investments and tourism in the area, forbidding EU companies the export of telecommunications, transport, and energy sector services to the region.