European Union ambassadors have backed the 16th sanctions package on Russia, just days before the third anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Polish EU presidency announced on Wednesday.

The measures set for formal adoption by foreign ministers, targeted captains and owners of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet vessels with murky ownership that were often uninsured.

These ships helped Moscow evade Western oil-price caps and transport stolen Ukrainian grain.

Officials were also concerned that these ships could be used to sabotage telecom cables in the Baltic and North Seas.

European commission President, Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the new measures.

“The EU is clamping down even harder on circumvention by targeting more vessels in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shadow fleet and imposing new import and export bans,’’ von der Leyen wrote on X.

“We are committed to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin.

“With tighter measures on circumvention, new import and export bans, and sanctions on Putin’s shadow fleet, we are closing back doors for Russia’s war machine to operate,’’ EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas wrote on X.

“The Kremlin won’t break our resolve,’’ she added.

Sanctioned ships were no longer allowed to enter the EU, and assets of ship owners in the bloc could be frozen.

Previously, the EU had already banned almost 80 ships from entering its ports and prohibited companies from offering those services.

With the new round of sanctions, 73 more ships were added to the list of sanctioned vessels, an EU diplomat said.

Transactions with 11 ports and airports in Russia that played a role in circumventing the oil-price cap are to be banned.

Next to sanctioning shadow fleet ships, the new sanctions package would exclude 13 more banks from the SWIFT financial communication system.

In addition, eight Russian media companies were to lose their broadcasting licences in the EU, the diplomat said.

The punitive measures were also to include an extensive ban on the import of Russian aluminium and aluminium alloys and an export ban on devices that could be used to control combat drones. This included video game console controllers.

Monday marked the third anniversary of Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.

(dpa/NAN)