In the upcoming autumn season, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas plans to present the most comprehensive sanctions list since the war began. This announcement was made during an interview with the German daily Die Welt on Monday.
Kallas noted that Vladimir Putin‘s forces are not achieving victories on the battlefield, leading Russian authorities to target Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure with missile strikes increasingly. She articulated the belief that Russia seeks to render Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.
Kallas expressed confidence that Ukraine’s drone strikes have effectively disrupted Russian logistics, resulting in a significant fuel crisis in Russian-occupied Crimea and impacting refineries deep within Russian territory. These developments are contributing to increased vulnerabilities within Russian society due to the ongoing conflict.
Kallas indicated that the forthcoming sanctions list, if approved, would lead to a one-third increase in the number of Russian individuals, companies, and organisations subject to sanctions. She also cautioned that Europe is confronting a growing hybrid threat, with the majority of sabotage, espionage, and cyberattacks traceable to Moscow. In light of these challenges, she called for a decisive response, warning that a lacklustre approach could result in further incidents.
