The European Union is imposing sanctions on more than 1.600 companies and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex. The package aims to penetrate deep into the Russian defense industry supply chain, from major manufacturers to companies that supply electronics, semiconductors, navigation systems, radars and components for Russian missiles and drones. France, meanwhile, is pushing for the adoption of a 22nd package of sanctions against Russia by the end of the year.
The European Union is significantly expanding economic pressure on Russia, undertaking the largest package of individual sanctions since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. More than 1.600 companies and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex and the networks that support weapons production are targeted.
The new package, announced for October 12, aims to hit the industrial capacity that enables Moscow to continue its war against Ukraine.
According to the data presented in the document, the package includes 1.569 companies and individuals directly linked to the Russian military-industrial complex. With these measures, the number of persons and entities listed by the EU in connection with Russia’s war is expected to increase by about 50 percent, from over 3.000 to more than 4.500.
In addition, 77 new sanctions are planned in response to the elections that Russia has organized in the occupied territories of Ukraine, which the EU considers illegal.
826 COMPANIES AND 743 DIRECTORS IN TARGET
The package includes 826 companies considered part of the Russian military-industrial complex and 743 people who run these companies.
According to the document, these enterprises constitute a substantial part of the Russian military industry, employ more than 250 people and have an annual turnover of nearly 20 billion euros.
The EU aims to penetrate deeper into the supply chain this time. After sanctioning more than 450 companies linked to the Russian military industry, including around 80 large companies, the new measures also focus on medium-sized companies that supply and support major manufacturers.
These companies supply components for some of Russia’s most advanced weapons systems, including ballistic and cruise missiles, long-range drones, and aircraft.
The document specifically mentions the Iskander, Zircon, Oreshnik, RM-48U and Kalibr missile systems , while the companies included in the list are related to the production and supply of electronics, semiconductors, microcircuits and computers, radars, antennas, communication systems, optics, navigation equipment, aviation systems and satellites, as well as explosives and ammunition.
The aim is for sanctions to not only hit the companies that produce the ultimate weapon, but the entire industrial ecosystem that makes its production possible.
RUSSIA INCREASES MILITARY SPENDING
The new measures come at a time when Russia is planning to further increase defense spending. According to data included in the document, by 2027 Moscow plans to increase defense spending by almost 30 percent.
Total military spending is expected to exceed 10 percent of Gross Domestic Product, a level that, according to the document, has not been recorded since the Soviet period.
The EU assesses that the increasing orientation of public resources towards the war industry is taking place at the expense of civilian production, social spending and long-term economic growth potential.
The Russian federal deficit, according to the cited estimates, is expected to reach 3,2 percent of GDP in 2026, while inflation in August was 6,3 percent.
EU: SANCTIONS HAVE COST RUSSIA OVER 1.300 TRILLION EUROS
According to the assessment presented in the document, Western sanctions have so far cost the Russian economy more than 1,3 trillion euros.
The measures taken by the EU have targeted some of the main sources of financing the Russian war economy – from banks and oil revenues, to refineries, crypto-asset networks and the so-called “ghost fleet” used to transport Russian oil.
Brussels argues that the 21 sanctions packages so far have increased the costs of the Russian economy, limited revenues and forced Moscow to rely increasingly on external partners.
However, claims about the economic effect of sanctions are part of the assessment of the EU and its member states, while Moscow has consistently disputed Western assessments of their impact.
FRANCE DEMANDS 22ND PACKAGE
Pressure on Moscow is expected to continue. France is pushing for an ambitious 22nd package of European sanctions to be adopted by the end of the year.
Paris is calling for new sectoral measures, particularly against mechanisms for circumventing sanctions through third countries, as well as additional measures against the Russian energy and financial sectors.
France emphasizes that during 2026 it played an active role in expanding the sanctions. According to the document, around ten ships linked to the “ghost fleet”, around 30 maritime operators linked to this network, as well as a number of entities involved in circumventing sanctions through cryptocurrencies, were sanctioned on the French initiative.
Paris has also proposed around 40 sanctions designations related to the Russian military-industrial complex, including the Garpiya drone production ecosystem , included in the 21st package.
One of the most recent individual cases mentioned is the sanctioning, on September 24, 2026, of Xenia Fedorova , described in the document as a Russian agent of influence operating in France.
OBJECTIVE: STRIKE THE CHAIN THAT PRODUCES WEAPONS
The main message of the new package is to shift the focus from large Russian arms companies to the entire industrial chain that supplies them.
Since the first package of sanctions, adopted on February 23, 2022, the EU’s stated goal has been to increase the economic and industrial cost of war for Russia.
With the October 12 package, the EU is targeting precisely the companies, executives, technology, and suppliers behind the production of Russian missiles, drones, aircraft, and ammunition.
At the same time, work on the 22nd package signals that European strategy remains oriented towards expanding economic pressure on Moscow, with a future focus on energy, finance, and the routes through which Russia attempts to circumvent Western restrictions.