EU Prepares Largest-Ever Sanctions Expansion Adding 1600 Individuals and Companies Linked to Russian Military-Industrial Complex

Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, told Die Welt that for autumn she is putting forward "the most far-reaching sanctions listings since the start of the war," which would raise the total number of sanctioned Russian entities by a third once adopted; existing EU sanctions have already cost Russia's war machine more than €1 trillion ($1.16 trillion) 1234. EU diplomatic sources told Reuters the European External Action Service will propose roughly 1,600 individuals and entities for designation, most tied to Russia's military-industrial complex, adding travel bans, transaction bans, and asset freezes to a list that already covers nearly 3,000 people and companies 234. A source familiar with the preparations told Radio Liberty the EEAS plans to present the proposals to EU ambassadors in early September for adoption in October, as an addition to existing sanctions lists rather than a new sectoral package, with the EEAS then moving toward monthly listing updates 5. Separate proposals targeting individuals and organizations linked to human rights violations and hybrid operations are expected in September, with further hybrid-warfare designations to follow later in autumn 235.