Russian mercenaries and diamonds in new EU sanctions

The draft listing included only one minor oligarch, Rustem Sulteev, and his spouse Lidia.

It known as out Yury Chikhanchin, head of Russia’s counter-terrorism company, Rosfinmonitoring, for having ”constantly positioned individuals and entities thought-about essential to the Kremlin on its ’terrorism and extremism’ register, together with journalists and Western-owned social media platforms”.

The EU had beforehand blacklisted Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, which went down in flames in August after its boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, challenged Putin’s authority.

Its draft new listing stated seven different mercenary companies had been now lively in Ukraine in Russia’s hybrid buildings.

The Moscow-based Redut, for example, did pre-invasion reconnaissance in Ukraine and was later ”linked to assassination makes an attempt in opposition to [Ukrainian president] Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” the EU stated.

It was based by 54-year-old Russian Anatoli Karazi, who can be to be blacklisted, and who was ”a former member of and head of intelligence for the Wagner group”.

The St. Andrew’s Cross mercenary agency was ”created by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2017,” the EU famous.

This had ”volunteer battalions”, educated Russian troopers, and ”provided tactical coaching to Russian combatants taking part in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.

Convoy, a agency from St. Petersburg, was stated to do intelligence gathering for the Russian ministry of defence in Russian-occupied Crimea in Ukraine.

Fakel and Potok had been two ”volunteer battalions” made up ”principally of Gazprom workers, predominantly working within the safety guard department,” the EU famous.

RSB Group was fabricated from ex-soldiers and ex-spies who educated Russian particular forces for operations in Ukraine, the EU stated.

And Tsarskie Volki consisted of ”military-technical consultants who work on the event of weapons and explosive supplies” within the Russia-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk areas in Ukraine, the EU stated.

Tsarskie Volki ”developed the so-called ’Marker’ robotic tank which has served to destroy Ukrainian armoured autos”, the EU added.

The EU paperwork additionally detailed a proposed wide-ranging ban on Russian diamonds, which is being coordinated with Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US.

The EU is to ban ”unsorted diamonds”, in addition to most ”non-industrial” and ”artificial ones”.

Its listing additionally consists of any ”articles of jewelry”, ”articles of pure 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. minimize and/or polished) in third international locations,” in addition to ”jewelry incorporating diamonds originating in Russia,” an EU sanctions memo stated.

The Russia diamond ban is to start out from 1 January 2024.

The ban on Russian stones minimize in third-countries is to be phased in from 1 September subsequent yr, taking ”into consideration the necessity to deploy an acceptable traceability mechanism that allows efficient enforcement measures,” the EU stated.

The diamond ban is to come back with new restrictions on shopping for Russian iron, copper, aluminium, and liquified propane in a bid to empty Putin’s pockets.

The EU measures are additionally meant to deal an additional blow to Russia’s high-tech industries.

Out of the 47 people and 72 entities to be added to the listing, most had been minor Russian officers and defence companies.

However a number of of the draft-blacklisted defence companies labored in areas reminiscent of avionics, satellite tv for pc navigation, or optoelectronics.

Some seven to-be-blacklisted Russian IT companies labored within the subject of ”encryption and cryptography know-how, info programs, and telecommunication programs for the Russian intelligence companies”.

A lot of the different people had been low-level Russian army officers and officers concerned in holding bogus referendums in Ukraine.

However a number of Russians had been uncovered for abusing Ukrainian youngsters.

The EU stated Serafim Ivanov, who labored in a paramilitary brigade in Russia-occupied Kherson in Ukraine ”took an lively half in militarisation of Ukrainian youngsters”, the EU stated.

Dmitry Polokovnikov, who labored for a patriot group in Crimea, supplied ”army coaching for kids”, the EU added.

Russia’s Avangard centre in Crimea gave youngsters ”a military-patriotic training with a view to put together them for service in Russia’s armed forces”.

Hungary and Austria

EU diplomats will fine-tune particulars of the proposal within the run-up to an EU summit in December earlier than the year-end trip.

EU leaders may also talk about whether or not to open accession talks with Ukraine, methods to velocity up the supply of ammunition, and whether or not to grab Russian funds to pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

For its half, Russia-friendly Hungary has already spoken out in opposition to the Ukraine talks transfer.

But it surely may not be the one one cautious of inviting such an enormous new member to affix the France-and-Germany-dominated membership.

”For positive, Austria will likely be obstructive, however it can conceal behind Hungary,” an EU diplomat stated.

”Regardless of its new rhetoric, France would not actually need Ukraine within the EU and Germany is taking part in a cynical recreation,” he stated.

”They [Germany] need to pressure adjustments within the EU treaty within the title of enlargement, reminiscent of extra qualified-majority voting. The adjustments will give Berlin extra energy, however the Germans do not actually consider Ukraine will be part of,” he added.