European Commission applauds Council's adoption of 16th sanctions package against Russia

The European Commission welcomes the Council's adoption of the 16th Russia sanctions package.

"As Russia's illegal aggression enters its fourth year, this package is designed to further ramp up pressure on the aggressor and is part of the EU's unwavering commitment to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine," Caliber.Az reports, citing the message posted on the European Commission’s website. 

"The 16th package targets systemically important sectors of the Russian economy such as energy, trade, transport, infrastructure, and financial services. It also adds further measures aimed at tackling circumvention," the message says.

According to the message, to curb the risk of our sanctions being bypassed, certain provisions of the 16th package are now also mirrored in the Belarus sanctions regime. The EU has in addition updated and strengthened its sanctions regimes concerning Crimea and Sevastopol, and the non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. 

"The package targets 74 additional vessels, bringing the total number of listed vessels to 153. These vessels are part of the shadow fleet or contributed to Russia's energy revenues. The measures add a new listing criterion, targeting those who support the operations of unsafe oil tankers. The package imposes targeted export restrictions on 53 new companies supporting Russia's military-industrial complex or engaged in sanctions circumvention. This includes 34 companies in countries other than Russia," the message says. 

"The package includes 83 additional listings, including 48 individuals and 35 entities, such as those supporting the Russian military complex, active in sanctions circumvention, Russian crypto assets exchanges and in the maritime sector. The 16th package also adds another new criterion for listing individuals and entities that are part of Russia's military and industrial complex, support it, or benefit from it," the message says.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the EU has introduced a series of sweeping sanctions aimed at curbing Russia’s aggression. These sanctions build on restrictions first imposed in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its failure to uphold the Minsk agreements.

The sanctions target individuals and entities that support, fund, or facilitate actions undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty. The EU has imposed asset freezes and travel bans on individuals, while entities face asset freezes as well. In addition to Russia, sanctions have also been imposed on Belarus, Iran, and North Korea for their military support of Russia’s war efforts.

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has voiced criticism of the EU’s policies, asserting that they do not align with the interests of European citizens, particularly regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Orbán stated, “The majority of people in Europe desire peace, while EU leadership is focused on pursuing a 'war against Russia.'”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also commented on the situation, stating that the EU economy is in a “deplorable state” due to the sanctions.

By Naila Huseynova