European Union ambassadors have agreed to add 1,646 names to the bloc's sanctions list against Russia, marking the largest single expansion since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. The decision, reached in Brussels on Wednesday, covers 743 individuals and 826 entities accused of supporting Moscow's war effort.
Among those targeted are 77 lawmakers who stood in the September elections for the Russian State Duma in the occupied territories of Ukraine, a vote widely dismissed as illegitimate. The new listings will bring the total number of sanctioned individuals and entities to nearly 4,650.
The agreement followed weeks of intense legal scrutiny, given the unprecedented volume of names. Formal approval is expected on Monday when EU foreign ministers convene in Luxembourg, after which the full list will be made public. Sanctions entail travel bans, asset freezes, and prohibitions on providing funds to those listed.
Unity in the face of hybrid threats
Member states were eager to finalise the package to project a united front amid a surge in hybrid attacks, some of which have been attributed to Russian operatives. The recent drone incident at Leipzig airport in Germany has already prompted work on additional listings, as reported by EU diplomats considering tighter curbs.
The expansion also serves to counterbalance the contentious removal of two high-profile oligarchs, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, from the blacklist last month. Usmanov's delisting, requested by France, was linked to a prisoner exchange with Azerbaijan, brokered by Turkic states that have long lobbied on his behalf. One French citizen has been released, but a second remains in detention.
In exchange for that concession, the EU extended the sanctions regime for an unprecedented three years. High Representative Kaja Kallas welcomed the renewal but acknowledged that Usmanov and Fridman are unlikely to be relisted soon.
"Countries are free to put forward names that should be included in the sanctions list. But in the end, it is up to the member states to decide," Kallas said. "And I do not see this on these two persons happening any time soon."
The episode has left Brussels grappling with the precedent it may set for the bloc's common foreign policy, which relies on unanimity. As the EU prepares to admit new members, the European Commission has proposed using the so-called passerelle clause to shift from unanimity to qualified majority voting on issues such as sanctions, aiming to prevent future vetoes from derailing decisions.
The move comes as Russia continues to face mounting pressure, with its military capabilities increasingly strained. Reports of Russia turning to Vietnam for jets highlight the erosion of its seized Western fleet, while the Kremlin's handling of a Siberian lab worker's death has raised further questions about its reliability.
For Ukraine, the expanded sanctions are a welcome sign of continued European resolve, even as the human cost of the war mounts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently condemned a deadly Russian strike as a birthday "gift" to Putin, underscoring the urgency of sustained pressure.
The EU's ability to maintain unity will be tested as it navigates internal disagreements and external provocations. The coming weeks will show whether the bloc can translate its expanded blacklist into a more cohesive and effective foreign policy.
