EU sanctions against Russia took effect on February 23 as the bloc responded to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine by targeting government officials, lawmakers, and businesses.
The sanctions apply to 27 individuals and entities, including government ministers, senior military officers, companies, and business leaders for their role in "threatening the territorial integrity" of Ukraine, the EU said in a statement.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a top adviser to President Vladimir Putin, and all 351 lawmakers who voted in favor of recognizing the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine are among those targeted.
The sanctions place a freeze on the assets of the individuals and entities listed and ban the individuals from traveling in the EU.
An EU statement said the bloc was holding further measures in reserve that could be implemented if Putin launches an attack or pushes troops deeper into Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the EU sanctions “a first step” and said more could follow.
The sanctions come a day after Putin dramatically escalated tensions with the West by recognizing the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk, areas of which Russia-backed separatists control.
The EU said Shoigu was targeted because under his “command and orders, Russian troops have held military drills in the illegally annexed Crimea and have been positioned at the border,” according to AP, quoting the sanctions list. “He is ultimately responsible for any military action against Ukraine.”
Putin's chief of staff, Anton Vaino, was also sanctioned, AP said. Vaino has played an active role in the Kremlin decision-making process and influenced Putin’s thinking.
The measures also hit banks that finance Russia's armed forces. In addition, they target the ability of Moscow to access EU capital and financial markets and services and ban EU trade with the two regions in eastern Ukraine.
The new measures come on top of sanctions that were imposed on Russia after it annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
They also follow sanctions announced by the United States on February 22. The U.S. measures include blocking sanctions on two Russian banks, sanctions to block Moscow’s access to Western financial institutions, and sanctions on Russian oligarchs.
