The sanctioned list includes foreign policy analysts from think-tanks, universities and other institutions connected to the Kremlin, as well as persons who spread pro-Russian propaganda and conspiracy theories about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among them are former Western European military and police officers who are active in promoting the narrative against Ukraine and NATO.
Sanctions were also introduced due to electronic warfare and the spread of pro-Russian narratives. The list also includes the International Russophile Movement and the Kaliningrad-based 142nd Electronic Warfare Battalion, which is responsible for jamming communications systems and cyberattacks, including the recent outages of GPS signals in several EU member states.
In addition, the sanctions include members of the Russian Military Intelligence Agency GRU and the Cadet Blizzard group, which carried out cyber attacks on government institutions in Ukraine, EU and NATO countries, with the aim of obtaining sensitive information and destabilizing the political situation.
With the new measures, restrictive sanctions are now applied to a total of 59 individuals and 17 legal entities.
The ministers specifically sanctioned five more individuals and four companies associated with the so-called by the Russian “shadow fleet”. They include businessmen linked to Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as shipping firms based in the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Russia, whose tankers help Moscow circumvent the ban on oil exports.
This move by the EU comes as a continuation of the policy towards suppressing Russia’s destabilizing activities in Europe and beyond, and the sanctions are aimed at limiting Moscow’s capabilities in cyber, economic and geopolitical activities.
(Vijesti.ba)
