The European Union’s latest round of sanctions against Russia scaled the final legal hurdle on Friday, one day before the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“We are further tightening the restrictive measures against Russia’s military and defence sector,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a press statement.

The sanctions also target countries supplying “equipment to Russia and those responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children.”

Senior diplomats for the EU’s 27 member-states agreed on the sanctions in Brussels on Wednesday, but final approval was still needed from EU capitals.

That last hurdle was cleared on Friday.

The sanctions target the Russian defence industry and include export restrictions on technologies such as components for aerial drones.

They also impose restrictions on organisations in countries, including India, Sri Lanka, China, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Turkey, for “supporting Russia’s military and industrial complex.”

The package imposes asset freezes and travel bans on 106 individuals and 88 organisations, according to the EU statement.

The new package brings to 2,000 the total number of people and groups sanctioned by the EU for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

The measures also prohibit EU citizens and companies from making money available to those on the sanctions list.

The sanctions list will be published tomorrow in the EU’s statute book.

(dpa/NAN)