The EU’s latest sanctions package against Russia targets 56 military-industrial entities and individuals, including long-range drones and communication networks. Experts say the measures could bolster not just Ukraine’s battlefield efforts, but also Europe's future security.
Dozens of defence-related companies and nationals propping up the Kremlin’s war machine have been targeted in the 21st package of sanctions against Russia.
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“More than 50 military-industrial entities are included, (as well as) key actors involved in the production of Russia's long-range drones,” the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday, when the measures were adopted.
“Russia will only negotiate to end its illegal war and stop killing civilians if it is pressured to do so. Sanctions add to this pressure.”
With the new sanctions package, the EU is continuing to target suppliers of dual-use goods and technologies in third countries, such as those in China and India. These technologies are often found in Russian weaponry, such as missiles, drones and tanks.
But the attention of EU officials and experts is focused on two relatively new measures in the package's military component.
This includes over 30 designations targeting the entire manufacturing and supply network of the long-range Garpiya drones, as well as Russia’s rival to the Starlink satellite system, known as the Rassvet.
Garpiya
A senior EU official said Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure has faced immense pressure from Russian bombardment amid the full-scale invasion, particularly when it comes to long-range attack drones.
After a three-day US-championed truce expired in May, Russia launched more than 200-long range drones at Ukraine, hitting energy infrastructure, residential buildings and even a kindergarten.
This is why the 21st package of sanctions has specially cracked down on the manufacturing of long-range drones – but as senior EU official explained, the EU has targeted it with a “different approach”.
“What we've done is we've we focused on one category of long-range drones, Garpiyas, and we've mapped out effectively the entire manufacturing and supply network,” the official said. “In single blow, we are targeting it today with over 30 designations.”
The EU designations for the latest package includes 37 new listings targeting individuals and entities explicitly linked to the production of the Garpiya/Garpiya-A1 attack drone.
This includes companies producing warheads, rocket boosters, catapults and other parts necessary for the deployment of the long-range weapons.
Senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank Jacob Funk Kirkegaard told Euronews that while he welcomes the military dimension of the latest sanctions package, he is hesitant about predicting its efficacy.
“Russia has multiple types of long-range drones,” he said. “That doesn’t mean this is a misguided effort. It’s well worth the effort. But we just shouldn't pretend that targeting one out of many long range drones that Russia has or produces is going to shift the needle on the strategic threat posed to Ukraine today, or for that matter, the rest of Europe in the longer run.”
Rassvet
The sanctions package also targets Russian companies involved the interplay between military technology, electronics and communications – and the senior EU official who spoke to Euronews implied that a specific company and satellite system was in the crosshairs.
“One thing that I find particularly important is related to the manufacture of a system that Russia is developing as an alternative to Starlink, so the Russian Starlink project is with in this package,” they said.
The low-Earth orbit satellite system Rassvet, produced by Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440, is widely referred to by Russian media as a “Starlink alternative”, aiming to provide Russians with high-speed internet access.
Sixteen of these satellites were first launched into orbit in March 2026, with the aim to have 250 in orbit in 2027 and 900 by 2035.
Kirkegaard said that when Russia previously lost access to Starlink, such as in February 2026, this had “very significant implications on their battlefield performance”.
“Denying Russia the capability… over time, to establish an alternative to Starlink would obviously be a very important priority,” he said – explaining that an EU decision to pursue Rassvet could weaken Russia’s battlefield abilities in Ukraine and also impinge on its long-term capability to pose a military threat to the EU in the future.
“As the EU or Europe more broadly prepares for a world in which we have to deter Russia on our own for the long run, denying Russia their military capabilities in the next three, four, 10 years from now is very important for our own security."
Speaking more broadly about support for Ukraine, Kirkegaard said targeting Garpiya drones and Rassvet satellites is efficient. But what bolsters Ukraine better on the battlefield are governments funding Ukraine's long-range drone, ballistic and cruise missile programs, usually championed by the Dutch, German and Nordic nations.