EU Approves Sanctions on Russian Defense Minister and Chief of Staff over 'Ukraine Situation'

Tomorrow's Summit Meeting of Member States to Be Held

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The European Union (EU) has adopted sanctions targeting key Russian figures such as Sergey Shoigu, Russia's Minister of Defense, and Anton Vaino, Chief of Staff to the President, in relation to the Ukraine crisis, according to reports by The Guardian and others on the 23rd (local time).

According to the reports, the EU Council, representing the governments of the 27 EU member states, officially adopted sanctions against Russia on this day. These sanctions follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval the previous day of the independence of the pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine's Donbas area?the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR)?and his decision to send troops under the pretext of peacekeeping forces.

Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, condemned the move, stating, "(Russia's decision) is illegal and unacceptable," adding, "They are violating international law, Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as Russia's international commitments, and are further escalating the crisis."

The Guardian reported that the draft sanctions list witnessed by its reporters includes Minister Shoigu, Chief of Staff Vaino, Navy Commander Nikolai Yevmenov, Black Sea Fleet Commander Igor Osipov, and Aerospace Forces Commander Sergey Surovikin. Additionally, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, and Margarita Simonyan, head of the news department at the Russian state TV channel 'Russia Today' (RT), are also reportedly subject to sanctions.

Furthermore, all 351 members of the Russian State Duma who voted in favor of the resolution recognizing the independence of these two regions are included in the sanctions. This expands the EU's existing sanctions list related to violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity, increasing the total number of individuals to 555 and entities to 52.

Moreover, sanctions are imposed on 27 individuals and entities, including Russian government officials involved in President Putin's decision, banks and businesses financially and materially supporting Russian operations in the DPR and LPR regions, Russian oligarchs, and military officers. These sanctions prohibit them from using funds, freeze their assets, and ban their entry into the EU.

The Guardian noted, "Although the EU has not publicly released the sanctions list, the scope of those targeted is broader than the sanctions announced by the United States or the United Kingdom."

EU member state leaders are scheduled to hold a special summit in Brussels, Belgium, on the afternoon of the 24th to discuss future responses. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, convened the meeting, stating, "It is important that we remain united and resolute and clearly communicate our joint approach and measures together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.