The European Union approved the largest package of sanctions it has adopted against Russia since 2022, targeting 1,569 individuals and companies linked to the Russian military and industrial complex. At the same time, it imposed sanctions on 77 individuals who took part in the elections for the Russian State Duma in occupied Ukrainian territories.
According to the Council of the EU, the package targeting the Russian war industry includes 826 companies and 743 individuals who serve as their CEOs. With the new listings, the total number of individuals and entities under sanctions as part of the measures to protect Ukraine’s territorial integrity is close to 4,600.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, described the new package as the biggest wave of sanctions listings since 2022. She said more than half of the new listings concern the production chain of ballistic missiles that Russia uses in its attacks against Ukraine.
She stressed that Russian attacks on bridges in Kyiv, ships carrying grain, and facilities of the National Academy of Sciences are not consistent with the image of a country seeking peace. “This is not the time to ease pressure on Moscow, but to increase it,” she noted.
Suppliers of the Russian War Industry Targeted
The new package focuses on mid-level suppliers, which the EU considers a key link in the Russian military industry. The companies included in the measures have a combined annual turnover of at least 20 billion euros and employ more than 250,000 workers.
According to European authorities, these businesses supply components for advanced Russian weapons systems, including missiles, drones, and military aircraft.
The components include semiconductors, microcircuits, computers, radars, antennas, transceivers, aviation and missile systems, explosives, ammunition, optical systems, and navigation systems.
The measures include an asset freeze for those on the lists, while it is prohibited to make funds and economic resources available to them, directly or indirectly, or for their benefit. Individuals are also subject to a ban on entering the European Union.
Sanctions on 77 Individuals Over Elections in Occupied Territories
A separate package of measures concerns 77 individuals who took part in the Russian elections of September 2026. The list includes 74 candidates who ran for seats in areas of Ukraine under Russian occupation, as well as three members of Russia’s Central Election Commission who were involved in organizing the electoral process.
The candidates took part in elections in the self-proclaimed “People’s Republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk, the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as Crimea and Sevastopol.
The Council of the EU believes their participation contributed to Moscow’s efforts to legitimize the attack on Ukraine and the occupation of Ukrainian territory.
The European Union has condemned the holding of these elections, calling it a violation of Ukrainian and international law, including the Charter of the United Nations. It has also reiterated that it recognizes neither the holding of elections in the occupied territories nor their results.
The 77 individuals are subject to an asset freeze and a ban on entering or transiting through EU territory. In addition, EU citizens and companies are not allowed to make funds or economic resources available to them.
The decision is part of the EU’s broader effort to increase pressure on Moscow, amid continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians. The relevant legal acts were published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
