New EU Sanctions Target Russian Drone Manufacturers and Foreign Tech Enablers

The European Union has adopted a new package of restrictive measures targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex, energy revenues, and state propaganda networks, according to a press release from the European Council on June 15.

The package adds a total of 34 individuals and 47 entities to the EU’s sanctions list. These measures aim to disrupt hybrid threats, limit Russia’s energy profits by targeting its shadow fleet ecosystem, and address systematic human rights violations, including Moscow’s repeated disregard for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the European Council reported.

To curb Russia’s energy profits, the newly approved restrictions focus heavily on companies involved in the shipping of crude oil and petroleum products. According to the European Council, the listings penalize two individuals and 24 entities tied to the shadow fleet, including Lukoil-Western Siberia and firms registered across Russia, Liberia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, and Hong Kong.

The sanctions also restrict manufacturers and third-country suppliers providing drones and hardware to the Russian military. The European Council detailed that the restrictions target 21 entities and seven individuals, including Russian state enterprises like the ERA Military Innovation Technopolis and the Foundation for Advanced Studies, alongside Chinese suppliers such as Shenzhen Minghuaxin and Xinxiang Richful Lubricant Additive Company.

Furthermore, the EU expanded its listings to address Russian hybrid activities, targeting 10 individuals and one entity involved in state-sponsored propaganda and disinformation. The European Council noted that the restrictions affect figures who work to justify Russia’s invasion, such as Anatoly Kuzichev, Kirill Fedorov, Roman Antonovskii, and Maria Volkonskaya, the editor-in-chief of Krymskaya Gazeta, alongside Russian Orthodox Church Bishop Georgiy Shevkunov and the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.

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The measures also hold individuals accountable for domestic repression, blacklisting 15 individuals and one entity tied to the persecution, poisoning, and death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. As stated by the European Council, these listings include Russian judges, prosecutors, state security officers, and the company IPJSC NTK, which developed a facial recognition system used to track and detain independent journalists and peaceful protesters. Additionally, the Council extended its existing sanctions regarding the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol until June 23, 2027.

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas emphasized that Western sanctions have already cost the Russian economy an estimated one trillion ($1.16 trillion) to 1.3 trillion euros ($1.5 trillion).

These newly adopted listings came just days after the European Commission introduced the framework for the upcoming 21st sanctions package. The proposed measures, outlined by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, target larger sectors of Russia’s war economy, including a temporary freeze on oil price cap adjustments, sanctions on 30 additional shadow fleet vessels, and full transaction bans on dozens of Russian and foreign financial institutions.

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