Wider Europe Briefing: New Russia Sanctions And The Slovak Veto

The European Union is expected to approve a new set of sanctions next week that will target individuals and entities involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children. The sanctions package will focus on those who have facilitated the removal of children from Ukraine to Russia or occupied territories.

At the same time, the bloc’s larger sanctions response to the drone incidents that led to the closure of Leipzig airport in August is being held up by a Slovak veto. The European External Action Service (EEAS) has already supplied EU capitals with a list of 1,600 people and entities—primarily linked to the Russian defence industry—that it wants to blacklist. Germany has announced that Moscow was behind the Leipzig drone incidents, closed the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russia House in Berlin, and is considering further sanctions. Several European officials said Germany might simply adopt the EEAS proposal and add more names to it.

Although most of the names on the EEAS list are unlikely to be vetoed by any member state, they will not be approved until the EU foreign ministers meet on 12 October. The names must first be legally cleared before asset freezes and visa bans can be imposed.

On 9 September, the EU will approve a smaller set of sanctions that will target 10 individuals and 17 entities accused of “systematic unlawful deportation” of Ukrainian children. The list includes officials in occupied Crimea and Donbas, and notably the Songdowon International Children’s Camp, which is run by North Korean authorities. The camp is alleged to participate in organized programs that transfer Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories to North Korea, where they are exposed to curated narratives designed to promote pro‑Russian viewpoints.

Other entities on the list are summer camps in Russia or occupied

Article and image source: northkoreatimes.com