The European Union on Monday imposed new sanctions on Russia in response to its ongoing war on Ukraine. These sanctions target Moscow’s shadowy network of tankers transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) through Europe, as well as several companies suspected of aiding in Russia’s efforts.
At a meeting in Luxembourg, where the sanctions were endorsed, EU foreign ministers voiced their concerns about an escalation of hybrid attacks by Russia. These attacks, which include allegations of election interference, cyberattacks, and sabotage, are intended to destabilize Ukraine’s backers.
In an effort to push Russia toward using more costly energy routes, the EU announced that it will “forbid reloading services of Russian LNG in EU territory for the purpose of transshipment operations to third countries.” The EU estimates that approximately 4-to-6 billion cubic meters (141 billion-212 billion cubic feet) of Russian LNG was shipped to third countries via EU ports in the past year.
Russia is suspected of operating a “ghost fleet” of up to 400 ships to circumvent sanctions and maintain its energy revenue flow, which it utilizes to finance the war. The new measures will target ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore transfers, as well as reloading operations. Additionally, the EU will crack down on the re-export of LNG to third countries via the EU and impose a ban on new investments aimed at assisting Russia in completing ongoing LNG projects.
A significant number of new “entities,” often companies, banks, agencies, and other organizations, were added to the EU’s sanctions list. This includes entities in China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, many of which are accused of circumventing the bloc’s sanctions or supplying sensitive equipment to Russia.
Over 50 officials have also been targeted with asset freezes and travel bans. These include Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, scores of lawmakers, and several oligarchs. The EU has already listed over 1,700 individuals and 400 entities under sanctions, including companies operating in the military, aviation, shipbuilding, and machinery sectors, the Wagner mercenary group, political parties, and banks. Approximately 210 billion euros ($225 billion) worth of Russian Central Bank assets are currently frozen within the EU.
Upon arriving for the meeting, several ministers emphasized the need for action to address Russia’s hybrid attacks in Europe, which operate in a “grey zone” below the threshold of military action. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stated that “there’s a plethora of actions they have been undertaking against European countries.” Finland has closed border crossings with Russia, citing the Kremlin’s orchestrated campaign exploiting migrants. “There is no observer status in Europe anymore to Russia’s aggression. We are all victims of Russia’s aggression,” Valtonen asserted. “It is crucial that we keep on aiding Ukraine because Russia only understands power.”
Her Lithuanian counterpart, Gabrielius Landsbergis, echoed these sentiments, stating that there is “ample evidence” of Russia’s malign activity. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that we are yet sending the right message,” Landsbergis said. “Moscow has to get a very clear message that whenever they escalate, they will receive an answer from our side.”
In May, NATO issued a warning regarding Russian “hostile state activity” directed towards its member states, including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Poland, and the U.K. NATO asserted that the Kremlin’s actions “constitute a threat to allied security.”
In a separate action, the EU imposed sanctions on two individuals accused of online espionage with the “Callisto group,” Ruslan Peretyatko and Andrey Korinets. The EU stated that the group has conducted cyber operations against EU member countries in an attempt to steal sensitive defense and diplomatic data. Additionally, members of the “Armageddon hacker” and “Wizard Spider” groups have been targeted for their involvement in hacking activities and the dissemination of malicious software.
