Two ruling-clan folks, seven mercenary companies, and a ban on all Russian diamonds are to be added to EU blacklists in time for Christmas.
The elite names come with Russian president Vladimir Putin’s cousin (Anna Putina-Tsivilyova) and Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev’s son (Ilya Medvedev) — who had been dubbed conflict propagandists in draft new sanctions observed by way of EUobserver on Thursday (16 November).
The draft checklist integrated only one minor oligarch, Rustem Sulteev, and his spouse Lidia.
It referred to as out Yury Chikhanchin, head of Russia’s counter-terrorism company, Rosfinmonitoring, for having “persistently positioned individuals and entities regarded as vital to the Kremlin on its ‘terrorism and extremism’ sign in, together with reporters and Western-owned social media platforms”.
The EU had up to now blacklisted Russia’s Wagner mercenary team, which went down in flames in August after its boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, challenged Putin’s authority.
Its draft new checklist mentioned seven different mercenary companies had been now lively in Ukraine in Russia’s hybrid constructions.
The Moscow-based Redut, for example, did pre-invasion reconnaissance in Ukraine and was once later “related to assassination makes an attempt towards [Ukrainian president] Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” the EU mentioned.
It was once based by way of 54-year-old Russian Anatoli Karazi, who may be to be blacklisted, and who was once “a former member of and head of intelligence for the Wagner team”.
The St. Andrew’s Move mercenary company was once “created by way of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2017,” the EU famous.
This had “volunteer battalions”, skilled Russian squaddies, and “introduced tactical coaching to Russian fighters taking part in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.
Convoy, a company from St. Petersburg, was once mentioned to do intelligence collecting for the Russian ministry of defence in Russian-occupied Crimea in Ukraine.
Fakel and Potok had been two “volunteer battalions” made up “most commonly of Gazprom workers, predominantly running within the safety guard department,” the EU famous.
RSB Crew was once product of ex-soldiers and ex-spies who skilled Russian particular forces for operations in Ukraine, the EU mentioned.
And Tsarskie Volki consisted of “military-technical professionals who paintings at the building of guns and explosive fabrics” within the Russia-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk areas in Ukraine, the EU mentioned.
Tsarskie Volki “evolved the so-called ‘Marker’ robot tank which has served to damage Ukrainian armoured cars”, the EU added.
The EU paperwork additionally detailed a proposed wide-ranging ban on Russian diamonds, which is being coordinated with Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
The EU is to prohibit “unsorted diamonds”, in addition to maximum “non-industrial” and “artificial ones”.
Its checklist additionally contains any “articles of jewelry”, “articles of herbal and cultured pearls”, and “goldsmiths’ or silversmiths’ wares … incorporating diamonds”.
It even stretches to “wristwatches, pocket-watches and different watches, together with stopwatches, incorporating diamonds”.
“This prohibition applies to diamonds originating in Russia, diamonds exported from Russia, diamonds transiting Russia and Russian diamonds when processed (i.e. reduce and/or polished) in 0.33 nations,” in addition to “jewelry incorporating diamonds originating in Russia,” an EU sanctions memo mentioned.
The Russia diamond ban is to start out from 1 January 2024.
The ban on Russian stones reduce in third-countries is to be phased in from 1 September subsequent 12 months, taking “into account the want to deploy an acceptable traceability mechanism that permits efficient enforcement measures,” the EU mentioned.
The diamond ban is to return with new restrictions on purchasing Russian iron, copper, aluminium, and liquified propane in a bid to empty Putin’s pockets.
The EU measures also are intended to deal an extra blow to Russia’s high-tech industries.
Out of the 47 folks and 72 entities to be added to the checklist, maximum had been minor Russian officers and defence companies.
However a number of of the draft-blacklisted defence companies labored in spaces similar to avionics, satellite tv for pc navigation, or optoelectronics.
Some seven to-be-blacklisted Russian IT companies labored within the box of “encryption and cryptography era, knowledge programs, and telecommunication programs for the Russian intelligence products and services”.
Lots of the different folks had been low-level Russian navy officials and officers interested in keeping bogus referendums in Ukraine.
However a number of Russians had been uncovered for abusing Ukrainian kids.
The EU mentioned Serafim Ivanov, who labored in a paramilitary brigade in Russia-occupied Kherson in Ukraine “took an lively section in militarisation of Ukrainian kids”, the EU mentioned.
Dmitry Polokovnikov, who labored for a patriot team in Crimea, equipped “navy coaching for kids”, the EU added.
Russia’s Avangard centre in Crimea gave kids “a military-patriotic training as a way to get ready them for provider in Russia’s military”.
Hungary and Austria
EU diplomats will fine-tune main points of the proposal within the run-up to an EU summit in December sooner than the year-end holiday.
EU leaders will even talk about whether or not to open accession talks with Ukraine, learn how to accelerate the supply of ammunition, and whether or not to snatch Russian finances to pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
For its section, Russia-friendly Hungary has already spoken out towards the Ukraine talks transfer.
However it will not be the one one cautious of inviting this kind of giant new member to sign up for the France-and-Germany-dominated membership.
“Needless to say, Austria can be obstructive, however it’ll disguise in the back of Hungary,” an EU diplomat mentioned.
“Regardless of its new rhetoric, France does not truly need Ukraine within the EU and Germany is taking part in a cynical recreation,” he mentioned.
“They [Germany] need to power adjustments within the EU treaty within the identify of expansion, similar to extra qualified-majority balloting. The adjustments will give Berlin extra energy, however the Germans do not truly imagine Ukraine will sign up for,” he added.
