EU Council reveals details of personal sanctions imposed in response to Russia's destabilising activities
The Council of the European Union has disclosed the details of additional personal sanctions imposed in response to Russia's hybrid destabilising activities targeting EU countries and partners.
Source: Council of the EU in a press release on 20 May, as reported by European Pravda
Details: The EU has imposed additional restrictions on 21 individuals and 6 legal entities linked to Russia's destabilising activities abroad.
In addition, the EU Council has made it possible to apply measures against assets such as ships, aircraft, real estate and communication equipment, and financial institutions or companies involved in cryptocurrency, if they are directly or indirectly connected to Russia's destabilising activities.
Quote: "In light of the systematic, international Russian campaign of media manipulation and distortion of facts aimed at destabilising neighbouring countries and the EU, the Council will now have the possibility to suspend the broadcasting licences of Russian media outlets under the control of the Russian leadership, and to prohibit them from broadcasting their content in the EU."
Details: The measures do not, however, prohibit such media outlets from carrying out other activities in the EU, such as interviews.
The sanctioned individuals include Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician to whose daughter Putin is godfather, and his associates Artem Marchevskyi and Oleh Voloshyn, who have promoted pro-Russian propaganda targeting EU countries and Ukraine.
Notably, Medvedchuk and Marchevskyi, as well as the media outlet Voice of Europe, have been subject to EU sanctions since May 2024. The specific updates in the current measures are not yet known.
The list also includes individuals believed to be involved in attempts to undermine the democratic political process in Estonia and Germany: Alik Khuchbarov and Ilya Bocharov, thought to be operatives from GRU, the Russian military intelligence agency; German blogger Thomas Röper; Russian blogger Alina Lipp; Turkish outlet AFA Medya and its founder Hüseyin Doğru; Elena Kolbasnikova; Yulia Prokhorova; Rostislav Teslyuk; and Andrei Kharkovsky (some of these individuals were previously mentioned in an investigative report by Reuters).
Also listed are Viktor Lukovenko and the news company African Initiative, which promotes pro-Russian narratives to African audiences; Justin Blaise Tagouh, CEO of the press group International Africa Media; and Mikhail Prudnikov, also for systematically spreading pro-Russian and anti-Western narratives in Africa; as well as Sylvain Afoua, founder of the Black African Defense League (which France ordered to be disbanded in 2021 for inciting hatred and violence).
Among the legal entities on the list is web hosting service Stark Industries, along with its CEO Iurie Neculiti and owner Ivan Neculiti. They are believed to have provided Russian-backed actors with the means to conduct various destabilising activities against the EU and third countries, ranging from disinformation to cyberattacks.
Fishing companies Norebo JSC and Murman Sea Food have also been sanctioned, as they are believed to be involved in espionage and sabotage activities supported by Russia, including actions targeting undersea cables.
Also on the list are the Main Radio Frequency Center and its director Ruslan Nesterenko, who is considered responsible for large-scale GPS signal jamming over the Baltic states, posing risks to civil aviation.
The sanctioned individuals will be subject to an asset freeze and a ban on entering and transiting through the EU, and EU citizens and legal entities will be prohibited from providing them with any funds.
Background:
These sanctions are part of a series of packages prepared for approval on 20 May.
The EU Council has approved the 17th package of EU sanctions against Russia for its war against Ukraine, along with separate sanctions for its use of chemical weapons against Ukraine.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
29 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Trump Tells German Chancellor D-Day Was 'Not A Pleasant Day For You'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that D-Day—the day Allied forces invaded Normandy, France, during World War II—was "not a great day" for Germany. What To Know Trump made his comments while he and Merz spoke to reporters during Merz's White House visit on Thursday. Merz pointed out that the anniversary of D-Day is on Friday, saying it was when "the Americans ... ended the war in Europe." "That was not a pleasant day for you," Trump responded. "No, that was not a pleasant—well—" Merz began before Trump interjected. "This was not a great day," Trump said. Merz cut in: "In the long run, Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship." "That's true," Trump said. Merz went on to say that "we know what we owe you," adding that the U.S. can play a similarly crucial role in bringing an end to Russia's war against Ukraine. "America is, again, in a very strong position to do something on this war and ending this war, so let's talk about what we can do jointly," the German chancellor said. "We are ready to do what we can and you know that we gave support to Ukraine and that we are looking for more pressure on Russia ... we should talk about that." MERZ: Tomorrow is the D Day anniversary, when the Americans ended a war in Europe TRUMP: That was not a pleasant day for you? This is not a great day MERZ: This was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 5, 2025 President Donald Trump, right, meets Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Washington. President Donald Trump, right, meets Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Washington. Evan Vucci/AP This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Administration Live Updates: President and Musk Spar Over Policy Bill as Their Relationship Frays
As Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, sat beside him watching in silence, President Trump compared Russia and Ukraine to two fighting children who needed to work out their differences for a while before anyone could intervene. 'Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy,' Mr. Trump said on Thursday in an Oval Office news conference. 'They hate each other, and they're fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They don't want to be pulled. Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.' 'And I gave that analogy to Putin yesterday,' Mr. Trump added. 'I said, 'President, maybe you have to keep fighting and suffering a lot, because both sides are suffering, before you pull them apart, before they're able to be pulled apart.'' Mr. Merz, who became Germany's chancellor last month, had come to Washington hoping to persuade Mr. Trump to play a more active role in defending Ukraine by bringing unrivaled U.S. power to the task of forcing Russia to end its invasion of its smaller neighbor. But he got a very different response. Mr. Trump essentially threw up his hands, saying that there was nothing the United States could do right now to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end. Mr. Trump repeatedly promised during the presidential campaign that he could make peace between the warring nations within 24 hours, but he now says he was being sarcastic. Four months into his second term, Mr. Trump is talking about the war as if he is a bystander. When a reporter asked him at Thursday's news conference whether he was going to put more sanctions on Russia, as he had previously threatened, Mr. Trump equivocated. He suggested he would know when the moment had arrived to pile on more pressure, but that it hadn't yet. He also suggested that Ukraine might come in for punishment. 'We'll be very, very, very tough, and it could be on both countries to be honest,' Mr. Trump said. 'You know, it takes two to tango.' The exchange was notable because Mr. Trump has said very little about the Russia-Ukraine war in recent weeks and almost nothing about Ukraine's stunning drone attack over the weekend against nuclear-capable bombers inside Russia. After calling Mr. Putin 'absolutely crazy' last month, Mr. Trump shifted his tone and said he wanted to give the Russian leader 'two weeks' to show signs of progress. He then dropped the timeline altogether in his statement on social media on Wednesday, instead simply relaying Mr. Putin's intent to retaliate against Ukraine as if he was a commentator without a stake in the outcome. Mr. Trump continued in that vein on Thursday, despite a plea from Mr. Merz to use American power to force Russia's retreat. Mr. Merz reminded the president that the anniversary of the D-Day operation was Friday, June 6, 'when the Americans once ended a war in Europe.' 'And I think this is in your hand, in specific, in ours,' Mr. Merz added. Mr. Trump interjected with a joke about the Nazis. 'That was not a pleasant day for you,' he said, referring to America's defeat of Adolf Hitler. Mr. Merz countered that, 'in the long run, Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship.' 'We know what we owe you,' he added, 'but this is the reason why I'm saying that America is, again, in a very strong position to do something on this war and ending this war.' Mr. Trump made no commitments. Instead, he boasted about the U.S. economy and military recruitment numbers under his leadership. And then he compared the war to children fighting, or a hockey game. 'They fight, fight, fight,' he said. 'Sometimes you let them fight for a little while. You see it in hockey. You see it in sports. The referees let them go for a couple of seconds. Let them go for a little while before you pull them apart.' Mr. Trump said he told Mr. Putin: 'Don't do it. You shouldn't do it. You should stop it.' But he did not seem confident that his words had any effect. In the president's telling, Mr. Putin replied that he had no choice but to attack based on Ukraine's strikes over the weekend, and, Mr. Trump added, 'it's probably not going to be pretty.' Zolan Kanno-Youngs contributed reporting.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What to know about Trump's new travel ban
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that nationals from 12 countries would be banned from entering the United States starting on Monday. Trump said that the ban, which primarily targets countries in Africa and the Middle East, was necessary to preserve national security and prevent terrorism in the U.S. "As President, I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people," Trump's proclamation reads. "I remain committed to engaging with those countries willing to cooperate to improve information-sharing and identity-management procedures, and to address both terrorism-related and public-safety risks." Citizens of the following 12 countries will be blocked from entering the United States: Afghanistan, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, the Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In addition, nationals of seven other countries will be barred from coming into the U.S. permanently or under several visa programs: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The executive order goes into effect Monday at 12:01 am ET. Addressing reporters at the White House on Thursday alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said he implemented the new ban now because "it can't come soon enough." "Frankly, we want to keep bad people out of our country," Trump said. A similar policy in Trump's first term, which barred foreigners from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the country, was reversed by then-President Joe Biden. On the campaign trail, Trump promised he would revive the ban. In a video posted Wednesday on YouTube, Trump cited the attack Sunday in Boulder as justification for the travel ban renewal. "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas," Trump said. "We don't want them." The suspect in the Boulder attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is accused of using a 'makeshift flamethrower' and Molotov cocktails on a group of people peacefully calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Soliman entered the U.S. legally from Egypt in 2022 on a tourist visa, according to officials. Egypt is not one of the countries affected by the new travel ban. When asked at the White House on Thursday why Egypt was excluded from the list of restricted nations, Trump said, "Egypt has been a country that we deal with very closely." "They have things under control," he said."The countries that we have don't have things under control." Yes. The ban will not affect nationals who are already lawful permanent residents of the U.S. In other words, the proclamation will not apply to nationals from the list of banned countries who have green cards or who are living in the U.S. with a visa. It will also not affect citizens of the banned countries who have citizenship in a second country and are entering the U.S. with a passport from an unrestricted nation. Other exemptions include Afghans who helped the U.S. government during the war in Afghanistan; ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran; athletes from banned countries who are entering the U.S for the World Cup or the Olympics; and children who are being adopted. This article was originally published on
