© depositphotos/pk_fabrik13_art The penalties will still be in place for roughly 2,600 individuals and organizations.
On Saturday, March 14, the Council of the European Union chose to prolong the restrictive measures targeting individuals implicated in actions that undermine or jeopardize Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. These measures are extended for another semester, until September 15, 2026, according to the EU Council website.
It is indicated that the specific penalties will remain in effect for about 2,600 persons and entities that were added to the list as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. These entail travel limitations for individuals, asset immobilizations, and a prohibition on supplying funds or other financial resources to those on the list.
Concurrently, the Council also resolved to cease applying penalties to two individuals and to remove five deceased persons from the list. According to DW, Dutch oil merchant Niels Troost and Maya Bolotova, the daughter of the Transneft director, were taken off the blacklist.
“The EU is steadfast in its commitment to uphold and amplify pressure on Russia to bring an end to its brutal war of aggression and to engage in productive talks to secure peace,” the statement conveys.
Earlier, Radio Liberty’s European editor, Rikard Jozwiak, mentioned that Hungary and Slovakia requested the EU to remove seven Russian nationals from the sanctions list.
The previous day, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar stated that the nation insists on the removal of Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from the list of sanctioned individuals. On Saturday, Jozwiak posted on the X social media platform that the sanctions against Usmanov would be extended.
As a reminder, the recent sanctions package targeting Russia, which was implemented in early February, introduces a restriction on importing several metals and raw materials from the Russian Federation; for the first time, restrictions will be imposed on ports in third-party countries.