EU adopts 15th sanctions package targeting Russia
Source: EU
On Monday, the European Union said it has adopted a new package of sanctions against Russia. The new restrictive measures aim to cut off Russia’s financial and logistical lifelines, particularly in its military-industrial complex and “shadow fleet”.
The new policy cracks down on 52 additional vessels involved in transporting Russian crude oil, stolen Ukrainian grain, or military equipment. Dubbed Putin’s “shadow fleet,” these non-EU tankers have dodged sanctions and oil price caps. The EU’s restrictions now extend the black list to 79 vessels, banning their access to ports and a host of maritime services.
For the first time, the EU has sanctioned companies supplying Russia with critical components like drone parts and microelectronics. This measure witll hit Chinese, Indian, Iranian, Serbian, and UAE entities that helped Russia’s military get microelectronics.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, didn’t mince words:
This package of sanctions is part of our response to weaken Russia’s war machine and those who are enabling this war, also including Chinese companies.
The sanctions also blacklisted 54 individuals and 30 organizations tied to atrocities and logistical support for the war. “The EU is sanctioning the military unit responsible for the striking of the Okhmadyt children hospital in Kyiv, senior managers in leading companies in the energy sector, individuals responsible for children deportation, propaganda and circumvention, as well as two senior DPRK officials,” said the EU in its statement.
In addition, 32 more entities landed on the sanctions list over their indirect support of Russia’s military and industrial. They will be subject to tighter export restrictions concerning dual use goods and technologies.
Among other things, the new sanctions will shield European businesses from Russia’s retaliatory legal actions as the EU has blocked the recognition of rulings from Russian courts that undermine international arbitration norms. In a stern signal to European business communities, the EU called on companies to wind down operations in Russia, though it offered extended deadlines for divestment on a case-by-case basis to ensure a smooth exit.
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.
During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.