The 17th Sanctions Package EU’s Against Russia

On May 20, 2025, the European Union adopted its 17th sanctions package against the Russian Federation. In my view, this package does not merely continue the existing pressure—it represents a qualitative shift in approach. The target is no longer limited to companies and officials alone. Now, it includes the very infrastructure underpinning Russia’s war machine.

In this article, I will examine in detail the structure and key focus areas of the 17th sanctions package.

Who and What Was Targeted: Three Layers of Pressure

In my assessment, the 17th package can be conditionally divided into three main layers. These cover Russia’s military, repressive, and logistical spheres.

Layer 1: The Military-Industrial Complex and Its “Shadow Ecosystem”

For the first time, the EU has explicitly and comprehensively targeted not only arms manufacturers themselves but the entire ecosystem supporting the production of drones and other military equipment. The sanctions list now includes 58 legal entities. Among them is PJSC KAMAZ—one of Russia’s largest producers of military trucks and chassis for multiple rocket launchers.

Sergey Kogogin, the company’s CEO, has been added as an individual. This signals a clear move toward personalized accountability for top executives.

Beyond KAMAZ, sanctions hit companies specializing in:

• Drone components (including navigation and data transmission systems);
• Metallurgical plants supplying specialized alloys for armored vehicles;
• Chemical factories producing ingredients for munitions.

This is not just “another list”—it is a precision strike against supply chains. These are chains that had previously circumvented Western restrictions through third countries and shell intermediaries.

Layer 2: Architects of Domestic Repression in Russia

The second, equally critical layer targets Russia’s “punitive apparatus.” The EU has sanctioned 28 individuals implicated in gross human rights violations, including:

• Judge Olesya Mendeleeva, who sentenced municipal deputy Alexey Gorinov for “spreading fakes” about the Russian military;
• Prosecutor Svetlana Zhuravleva, who supported the prosecution in that same case;
• Dozens of other judges, prosecutors, and investigators involved in politically motivated cases;
• An official from the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) responsible for the detention of political prisoners.

This move is profoundly significant. It sends an unequivocal message: Russia’s repressive system cannot operate in isolation from international justice. Every official involved in suppressing dissent now knows their name could appear on sanctions lists. Furthermore, their assets could be frozen.

Layer 3: Logistics of Aggression – the Maritime “Shadow Fleet”

The third layer targets the “shadow fleet.” The 17th package adds 189 vessels to the EU’s prohibition list. Crucially, for the first time, sanctions extend beyond the ships themselves to include:

• Flag registry operators providing vessel registration;
• Companies offering insurance and technical maintenance.

Sectoral and Hybrid Measures in the 17th Package: New Tools

Beyond individual listings, the 17th package introduces critical sectoral restrictions:

• A new list of 31 organizations “directly supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex.” These are companies formally operating in civilian sectors (e.g., IT or logistics). However, in practice, they supply the defense industry with technology and communications.
• “Hybrid” sanctions against 27 individuals and entities engaged in disinformation, cyberattacks, and election interference—a direct response. This addresses Russia’s increasingly sophisticated hybrid warfare tactics against EU states.

Special attention has been paid to chemical weapons. Sanctioned entities now include:

• The Russian Ministry of Defense’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops (RCBZ);
• Two scientific research institutes developing chemical agent components.

This step is a direct reaction to intelligence reports confirming the use of chemical agents by Russian forces in Ukraine.

International Coordination: The UK and the Cook Islands

Sanctions policy today is a matter of collective security. It is therefore essential to note that the EU’s 17th package was accompanied by coordinated actions from the United Kingdom.

The UK imposed its own sanctions on:

• 14 employees of the Agency for Strategic Communications (ASiS), known for orchestrating social media disinformation campaigns;
• 46 Russian financial institutions, including entities affiliated with the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) and the St. Petersburg Exchange;
• 18 “shadow fleet” vessels and their captains, including two Russian nationals;
• British citizen John Michael Ormerod. According to UK intelligence, he directly participated in schemes to purchase tankers for Russia.

Another significant precedent involves the Cook Islands—a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand. The Cook Islands voluntarily withdrew from the Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC). This is an agreement among leading ship registries. It is designed to curb sanctions evasion tactics such as “flag hopping”—the practice of re-registering vessels under flags of countries with lax oversight.

This decision, made under international pressure, aims to close a key loophole exploited by Russia’s shadow fleet.

What Comes Next?

In my view, the future of sanctions policy will follow two key trends:

1. Greater granularity: rather than targeting large corporations, sanctions will focus on specific factories, laboratories, and even individual projects.
2. Expanded extraterritorial pressure: an increasing number of countries and private actors worldwide will be forced to choose. They must choose between cooperation with Russia and access to Western markets and technologies.

The 17th package is more than a policy update—it is a declaration that complicity in aggression and repression carries a price. That price will only rise.

Aleksandr Fomenko
Founder, FPRO
International Accounting & Tax Expert (EU)