The Council of the European Union has adopted a new, small package of regulatory measures strengthening the sanctions regime against the Russian Federation. This set of decisions combines the expansion of the lists of sanctioned individuals and entities in the military-technology sector with an adjustment to the timeframes of the crude oil price cap mechanism, ensuring a coordinated response that is uniformly applied across all Member States.
Key developments:
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Inclusion of new sanctioned individuals and entities (technological and military sector)
In response to the intensification of attacks on civilian infrastructure, the European Union has added one individual and five entities from the technology and energy sectors to its list of restrictive measures. All of them will be subject to the freezing of assets and a ban on the making available of funds, whilst the individual will be subject to a ban on entering and moving within the territory of the Member States.
Individual: Irina Vladimirovna KHARISOVA (Chair of the Board of Directors of the ABS Electro group).
Legal entities: JSC “ABS ZEIM Automation”, LLC “Asset Automation”, JSC VNIIR, LLC “Asset Electro” and JSC “Sokol Asset”.
Reason for the sanction: The designation is due to the direct involvement of the ABS Electro group (through its subsidiary JSC VNIIR-Progress) in the development and manufacture of the Kometa electronic warfare antenna (including the Kometa-M variant). This component is key to preventing interference with communications and is widely used in the navigation of guided bombs and military drones (such as the Shahed and Geran models).
Postponement of the review of the crude oil price cap
At the same time, it has been agreed to postpone the date of application of the procedure to amend the price cap on Russian crude oil. This decision gives the Council more time to examine actual developments in the energy market before setting a new cap.
In practical terms, the publication of the European Commission’s announcement on the average market price (covering the period from 15 January to 17 June 2026) is postponed to 23 July 2026. Consequently, the new price cap will come into force on 15 August 2026. Until that date, the current price cap will continue to apply.
Legal framework
With the collaboration of José Luis Iriarte, Professor of Private International Law at the Universidad Pública de Navarra.
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