EU hits Russia with biggest sanctions blast yet — 1,600 new names blacklisted
Brussels has added around 1,600 new names to its Russia sanctions lists in its largest expansion to date, targeting the firms and executives behind the missiles raining down on Ukrainian cities.
The European Union has approved its largest-ever round of sanctions against Russia, adding roughly 1,600 new names to its blacklists in a single stroke [261194]. The package, agreed by EU foreign ministers, targets more than 1,000 entities tied to Russia's military-industrial complex and aims squarely at the supply chain feeding Moscow's war machine [260412].
Most of the newly listed firms support the supply chain for the ballistic missiles Russia fires at Ukrainian cities [260364]. In total, 1,569 Russian arms suppliers and their executives were blacklisted, making it the biggest round of penalties the bloc has ever imposed [260364]. A German official called the move an "unprecedented" blow to Russia [260412].
The measures focus on electronics, a key component of Russia's war machine, and were prepared over two days before being signed off [259510]. EU ministers pledged to keep the pressure on Moscow, even as the United States eases its stance on Russia [260364].
The announcement comes as Ukraine steps up its own campaign against the launch systems that fire Russian ballistic missiles, rather than just the missiles themselves. Since September, Ukrainian forces have hit eight Russian ballistic launch systems and destroyed three of them, Ukraine's Defense Minister said, adding that the strikes have forced Moscow to change its planned barrages [260375]. The minister used the announcement to press partner countries for bulk deliveries of anti-ballistic missiles rather than one-off shipments, as Ukraine's own interceptor stocks run low [260375].