EU foreign ministers approve 15th round of sanctions on Russia

BRUSSELS - European Union (EU) foreign ministers on Monday signed off on the bloc's 15th round of sanctions since Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The new economic measures aim to curb the circumvention of already existing EU sanctions and to weaken the Russia military and defense industry.

"With each new round of sanctions, we improve effectiveness and close gaps, and we will continue to do so, as part of our unwavering commitment to support Ukraine and its people," said EU Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union Maria Luis Albuquerque.

Fifty-two vessels were added to the list of ships that are suspected of being part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of oil tankers and subject to bans of a broad range of services and access to ports.

In June 2024, the EU included over 20 ships in the sanctions list.

"These ships have been found to be engaged in high-risk shipping practices when transporting Russian oil or petroleum products, in arms deliveries, grain theft, or supporting the Russian energy sector," a press release said.

Russia has long been accused of using ships that do not belong to Western shipping companies and are not insured by Western insurance companies to circumvent Western price caps on Russian oil exports to third countries.

Experts believe that these vessels pose significant risks for shipping and the environment, as many of these tankers are obsolete and technically flawed. Besides, they sometimes do not use the automatic identification system.

For months, Russia's neighbors countries have been demanding tougher action against the shipowners, operators and insurance companies involved in keeping the Russian "shadow fleet" afloat.