EU prepares 15th sanctions package against Russia: EUobserver on who may be affected

This marks the first stage of the process, to be followed by meetings between the commission and EU diplomats and a discussion of the sanctions text within the EU Council.

The EU aims to tighten measures ahead of the 1,000-day anniversary of the war on November 19, though diplomats believe it's more realistic to enact sanctions by the third anniversary on February 24, 2025.

Poland and the Baltic states are pushing for a ban on imports of Russian liquefied gas and restrictions on nuclear agreements, while Scandinavian countries are focused on tackling the "shadow fleet" of Russian tankers evading oil sanctions.

The sanctions may also target the supply of prohibited technologies, as Russia depends on foreign microchips and other components. This could lead to tighter controls on Chinese, Indian, and Turkish companies, which might end up on the EU’s "gray list." EU tech exporters might also start redirecting their products to Central Asia, from where they are re-exported to Russia.

Ukraine's ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, said that sanctions evasion costs Ukrainian lives: over 2,000 Shahed drones equipped with foreign microchips and parts were used against Ukraine in October.

Ukraine is also calling on the EU to expand bans on Russian oil products, metals, and chemicals and to add Russian oligarchs, propagandists, and Russian Orthodox Church representatives supporting the war to the blacklist.

New sanctions against Russia

The European Union has approved a new sanctions regime aimed at countering Moscow's hybrid threats.

On October 2, EU ambassadors approved a mechanism to combat Russia's hybrid attacks, which came into effect on October 8.

The EU Council decided to renew the new sanctions regime against Russia every 12 months.