EU Backs Sanctions on Russian Propaganda Outlets As Part of Next Sanctions Package

Four Russian state media outlets will be added to the European Union’s blacklist, while other measures for the 14th sanctions package against Moscow are still in the early stages of discussion following a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday (15 May).

“Four Kremlin-linked propaganda networks [have been] added to the sanctions list: Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestija and Rossiyskaya Gazeta”, Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova said.

The outlets, agreed on in principle by EU ambassadors, include both online media and newspapers.

While EU envoys did not yet specify the measures that will apply to the outlets, Russian media sanctioned over propaganda, such as Sputnik and RT, in previous rounds lost broadcasting rights inside the bloc.

In response, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned Western journalists may be targeted in retaliation to the future sanctions.

“I want to remind all those Brussels hotheads that there are dozens of journalists from EU countries who live very nicely and comfortably in Russia,” Zakharova warned.

“If such measures are adopted against Russian journalists and media by the EU or by individual countries (…) we will respond immediately and very painfully against the Westerners,” she added.

The sectoral measure would be part of the EU’s next 14 sanctions package, which EU diplomats hope to seal before the end of June, before Hungary takes over the EU’s rotating Council presidency.

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Sectorial sanctions ‘not there yet’

Earlier this month, the European Commission proposed measures against Russia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry and targeting shipping firms helping Russia evade an existing EU oil embargo, according to an earlier proposal seen by Euractiv.

While they would not directly ban Russian LNG imports to the bloc, they would target companies shipping EU countries from re-exporting Russian LNG after receiving it.

EU diplomats said that instead of a blanket ban, EU member states could potentially support the idea of imposing restrictions on three Russian LNG projects and on the re-export of Russian LNG from EU ports (mainly France, Spain, and Belgium).

Next to that, France and the Netherlands have made a push with a joint proposal, seen by Euractiv, to sanction any financial institution worldwide that aids Russia’s military war machine to pay for goods or technology to manufacture military equipment.

According to EU diplomats, such a ban would be a ‘powerful tool’ to fight the circumvention of EU restrictive measures in third countries as it would impact their standing on financial markets.

However, such a move would need to be coordinated with other partners, especially the US, which holds significantly more market power than Europe.