The EU has finally approved the 19th package of sanctions against russia

This was reported to a European Pravda correspondent by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

‘We are pleased to announce that the Council has approved the 19th package of sanctions,’ they said in a comment.

Earlier that evening, the Danish Presidency announced that it had received a message from ‘the last country that it was now ready to lift its reservations on the 19th package’ – after which it launched the approval process and predicted its completion by 8 a.m., which is what happened.

The ‘energy’ block of the sanctions package provides for a ban on imports of russian LNG – in six months for short-term contracts and from 1 January 2027 for long-term contracts, which is synchronised with the European Commission's RePowerEU plan.

It also strengthens the ban on cooperation with ‘russia's two oil giants’ and sanctions against another 117 tankers in the ‘shadow fleet,’ bringing the total number of sanctioned vessels to 558.

The ‘financial’ block includes:

a ban on insurance for aircraft and vessels used by russia for the first five years after sale to a third country;

a complete ban on transactions with five russian banks and an extension of the existing ban on russian electronic payment systems, in particular Mir, and sanctions against four more banks in Belarus and Kazakhstan;
 

a ban on transactions with five banks, one crypto exchange and two oil trading companies in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay, the UAE and Hong Kong;

a new ban on European economic operators entering into new contracts with nine ‘special economic zones’ in russia and a complete ban on cooperation with Alabuga and Technopolis Moscow;

a complete ban on cryptocurrency services for citizens, residents and companies from russia.

Another 45 companies were punished for circumventing existing sanctions, including three in India, two in Thailand, and 12 in China and Hong Kong; many of them are involved in unmanned technologies.

Additional export restrictions have been imposed to complicate russia's access to microchips and technologies that can be used in the military-industrial complex. More individuals and companies associated with the military-industrial complex and developments for the military industry will be added to the sanctions lists.

The export ban on industrial goods such as salt, rubber, building materials and technological goods is being expanded.

The criteria for adding ports in third countries to the sanctions lists are being expanded to include those used to transport UAVs and missiles to russia or to circumvent oil sanctions.

A new mechanism is being introduced to restrict the movement of russian diplomats in the EU, with a three-month transition period.

New criteria are being established for inclusion in sanctions lists in connection with involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children by the russian occupation authorities.

The ban on the provision of services in the field of AI, complex computer technologies, and commercial space services is being expanded. The provision of any services in russia that are not yet prohibited by sanctions will require prior approval.

In addition, European operators will be prohibited from providing services related to tourism in russia.

Source: European Pravda