Overview
- The Council of the EU on January 29 added six individuals to its sanctions list in response to foreign information manipulation and interference tied to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
- Those listed are television figures Dmitry Guberniev, Ekaterina Andreeva, Maria Sittel and Pavel Zarubin, along with actor Roman Chumakov and ballet dancer Sergey Polunin.
- The Council cites roles in spreading disinformation, hosting events such as Direct Line with Vladimir Putin, backing the 2014 Crimea annexation, participating in pro‑war rallies and raising money for the Russian armed forces.
- Listed individuals face asset freezes and EU travel bans, and EU persons are barred from providing them funds, bringing this sanctions regime’s scope to 65 individuals and 17 entities.
- The Council also adopted separate restrictive measures addressing serious human rights violations in Iran and Tehran’s continued military support for Russia.