Media: EU set to widen Russia sanctions with 1,600 new targets

The European Union is preparing a new sanctions package targeting about 1,600 Russian individuals and legal entities linked to Moscow’s war effort, potentially making it one of the bloc’s largest single sanctions actions since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The proposed package would include 800 individuals and 800 organisations, with the list expected to focus heavily on Russia’s military-industrial complex and networks accused of helping Moscow circumvent existing restrictions, Politico writes.

The measures are due to be discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Ireland on October 16, with adoption expected by mid-October, according to the report.

If approved, the new designations would push the EU’s total number of sanctions against Russia to more than 4,000, from nearly 3,000 currently.

The proposal follows the EU’s 21st sanctions package, adopted on July 23, which added 218 individuals and entities. That package also introduced restrictions on certain crypto-asset service providers operating in third countries, aimed at limiting sanctions evasion through digital assets.

The latest package has not yet specified additional cryptocurrency measures. However, its focus on intermediaries and supply-chain networks could increase scrutiny of companies in third countries suspected of facilitating the movement of restricted goods to Russia.

Energy, defence and dual-use technology sectors are expected to face particular pressure as the EU seeks to disrupt sanctions-evasion networks.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is preparing to announce “extensive” measures against Russia over an attempted drone attack in Leipzig, according to three officials familiar with the matter cited by Politico and WELT AM SONNTAG.

The measures could include sanctions against Russian entities, while the EU is separately preparing a new sanctions package. Merz is expected to make the announcement early next week, potentially ahead of an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Ireland on Tuesday.

Officials said Berlin was considering tougher steps than expelling Russian diplomats or closing the Russian House in Berlin, potentially including intensified sanctions or increased arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Germany has not yet publicly attributed the Leipzig incident to Russia, with a government spokesperson saying any attribution would be made after the investigation is assessed.

The expected move comes amid heightened tensions between Germany and Moscow and a series of incidents across Europe described by Western officials as part of Russia’s “hybrid warfare”.

By Aghakazim Guliyev