The Council of the European Union (EU) approved this Thursday a ninth package of sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, which includes restrictive measures for another 200 people and entities and restrictions on the access of Russian forces to ‘drones’.
“Ambassadors reached an agreement in principle on a sanctions package against Russia as part of the EU’s continued support for Ukraine,” the Czech presidency of the Council announced on Twitter.
In what is the ninth package of sanctions against Russia and the third negotiated by the Czech presidency of the EU, “should be confirmed tomorrow by written procedure,” adds Prague.
The approval was given at a meeting of ambassadors of the member states, on the sidelines of a European Council in Brussels.
With the adoption of this ninth package of sanctions, 200 more people and entities will be included, including the Armed Forces, as well as Defense companies linked to the Kremlin (Russian Presidency), members of the Russian Parliament and the Federation Council, ministers, governors and political parties.
At the same time, there is a ban on exporting ‘drones’ (unmanned aerial devices) to Russia or to third countries that may have commercial relations with Moscow, including Iran, which has been accused of supplying this type of aircraft to Russia. forces in Ukraine.
In addition, the EU wants to impose new export controls and restrictions, particularly for dual-use goods such as chemicals and electronic and computer components.
A total of 1,241 individuals and 118 entities are covered by the EU sanctions list, which covers asset freezes and travel bans.
The military offensive launched on February 24 by Russia in Ukraine has already caused the flight of more than 13 million people -more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.8 million to European countries-, according to the most recent data. of the UN, which catalogs this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the wider international community, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing them on Russia in political and economic sanctions.
The UN presented as confirmed since the beginning of the war 6,702 dead civilians and 10,479 wounded, stressing that these figures are far below the real ones.
Source: TSF
