The European Union has given preliminary consent to the 13th package of sanctions against Russia. What will it cover?

All sanctions procedures have yet to be finalized. The restrictions will come into force upon publication in the EU’s Official Journal, which is expected to take place before the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, which falls on Saturday, February 24. The information from the Brussels correspondent that the 13th package does not contain economic sanctions is also confirmed. Beata Płomecka was the first to announce that these would only be individual restrictions.

The European Union is preparing another package of sanctions against Russia. The most modest so far

This is the most modest package of EU sanctions against Russia since the full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Instead of sectoral sanctions, there is an extended blacklist with a ban on entry to the EU and blocked assets in Europe. The list is secret until published in the EU Official Journal, but Beata Płomecka has already seen it. Another 200 people and companies are to be subject to sanctions – mainly military personnel, heads of companies from the military-industrial complex, i.e. Russia’s defense sector, as well as companies from the arms sector.

In addition, judges, people responsible for kidnapping Ukrainian children and taking them for forced adoption in Russia and Belarus, as well as representatives of the puppet authorities in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine were blacklisted. Together with the 13th package, the EU is also to ban trade with other companies around the world that help the regime in Moscow circumvent sanctions – they buy components and technologies in Europe and sell them in Russia.

War in Ukraine. Another defeat for Russia

According to reports from the Ukrainian command, on February 17 they managed to shoot down two Su-34s and one Su-35 fighter. Similarly, on February 18 and 19, subsequent Russian fighters and bombers fell to the ground. Wednesday’s (February 21) downing of the Su-34 closes the tally of seven Russian bombers and fighters shot down in five days. However, there is no official information about what weapons the Ukrainians used. According to a Ukrainian military website, these were most likely American Patriot missiles.

As we read, the range of such a missile is about 150 km, while the range of Russian guided bombs released from Su-34 bombers is up to about 60 km. According to Ukrainian experts, the reduction in the activity of Russian military aviation observed in recent days is related to the losses suffered by the Ukrainian defense.