Members of the European Union have agreed a 13th package of sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the Ukraine conflict, banning roughly 200 more entities and individuals.
The new package will add 193 businesses and persons to the list of those barred from entering the EU or conducting business in the 27-country union.
It is believed that the postings are divided roughly between companies and individuals affiliated with Russia’s military industrial complex and those involved in the trafficking and kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
Belgium, which now holds the rotating EU presidency, announced the change on the social media network X, formerly Twitter.
‼️ Deal ‼️ EU Ambassadors just agreed in principle on a 13th package of sanctions in the framework of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
This package is one of the broadest approved by the EU. It will undergo a written procedure and be formally approved for the 24 February.
— Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2024 (@EU2024BE) February 21, 2024
The package is scheduled to be formally approved on February 24 – the second anniversary of Russia’s initial foray into Ukraine.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court alleged last March that Russia had transferred at least hundreds of children from orphanages and care homes in occupied regions of Ukraine.
The ICC indicted officials including President Vladimir Putin for abducting Ukrainian children, which it called a war crime.
Moscow denies any crime and says it has taken in children from the war zone to protect them. Ukraine says Russia has removed more than 4,000 children.
The new measures also focus on the procurement network supporting Russia’s military, especially supply chains to make drones.
Twenty-seven corporations have been added to the Annex IV list, preventing European enterprises from selling dual-use goods to them.
According to sources, the majority of the newly added companies are Russian, with three mainland Chinese firms and one Hong Kong-based company.
The package will be formally approved in time for the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on February 24.
