The Council of the European Union has imposed sanctions against six people and five companies involved in the development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that Russia uses for its war in Ukraine.
These are the first lists within the newly created restrictive measures due to Iranʼs military support for Russian aggression. They are in addition to the previous four rounds of listings on Iranian drones that were passed earlier as part of other sanctions packages.
The new list included, in particular:
- the company Shakad Sanat Asmari, its CEO, his deputy and chief scientist;
- Baharestan Kish Company, its managing director Saad Sazeh Faraz Sharif, as well as the general director;
- Sarmad Electronic Sepahan Company, which offers aerospace engineering services;
- a company helping Iranʼs Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps improve UAVs, Kimia Part Sivan Company.
Sanctions include the freezing of assets and a ban on entry into the European Union. Also, the restrictive measures prohibit directly or indirectly providing funds to the listed companies and people, or for their benefit.
- A year ago, the Council of the European Union strongly condemned any military support of Russian aggression by Iran, including the supply of Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
- The development, production and transfer of UAVs to Russia are managed by the Ministry of Defense, the Iranian Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — all under EU sanctions.
- On July 20 of this year, the EU Council established new sanctions regarding Iranʼs military support for Russiaʼs war against Ukraine. They prohibit the export of components for UAVs from the EU to Iran, and also provide for an asset freeze and a ban on entry into the European Union — these restrictive measures apply to those involved in the development, manufacture or transfer of UAVs to Russia. The lists of sanctioned persons and companies were approved only today.
- On September 13, 2022, the Ukrainian military for the first time destroyed the Iranian-made Shahed-136 kamikaze attack drone used by the Russian army. The drone was shot down near the liberated Kupyansk, Kharkiv region. Since then, Russia has been using these drones for attacks on Ukraine, in particular on energy infrastructure facilities. Now the Russian Federation is building its own factory for the production of these drones, there they are called "Geranium — 2". The plant will be located in the special economic zone "Alabuga", it can start work in early 2024.