Eurogroup - Eurozone

02/23/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/23/2026 06:25

Human rights violations in Russia: EU lists additional eight individuals 13:24 The Council imposed restrictive measures on eight additional individuals responsible for serious[...]

Today, the Council imposed restrictive measures on eight individuals responsible for serious human rights violations, the repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Russia.

The new listings target members of the judiciary - 2 judges, one prosecutor and one investigator - involved in politically motivated trials - responsible for sentencing Russian activists Dmitry Skurikhin and Oleg Belousov on politically motivated charges. Furthermore, the measures agreed today target the heads of penal colonies and a pre-detention centre, where political prisoners Aleksei Gorinov, Pavel Kushnir, Mikhail Kriger and journalist Maria Ponomarenko, speaking out against Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and criticising Putin's regime, were held and kept in solitary confinement and inhuman and degrading conditions.

The individuals designated today are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. They are also subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories.

The EU remains unwavering in its condemnation of human rights violations and repressions in Russia, and is deeply concerned about the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in the country, especially in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the EU.

Background

The Council established a new framework for restrictive measures against those responsible for serious human rights violations or abuses, repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and undermining democracy and the rule of law in Russia in March 2024, as the EU's response to the accelerating and systematic repression in Russia. The new framework has been established following the death of Alexei Navalny.

The regime allows the EU to target also those who provide support for or are involved in the misconduct set out above. Furthermore, it entails trade restrictions on exporting to Russia equipment, which might be used for internal repression and the monitoring or interception of telecommunication.

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