The European Union imposed sanctions on eight Russian individuals over alleged serious human rights violations, repression of civil society and democratic opposition, and actions undermining democracy and the rule of law in Russia. Those listed include members of Russia’s judiciary (two judges), as well as a prosecutor and investigator linked to what the EU describes as politically motivated cases that convicted activists Dmitry Skurikhin and Oleg Belousov.
The sanctions also target officials running penal colonies and a pre-trial detention centre where political prisoners—including Aleksei Gorinov, Pavel Kushnir, Mikhail Kriger, and journalist Maria Ponomarenko—were held in solitary confinement and reportedly subjected to inhuman and degrading conditions. Measures include asset freezes within the EU, bans on EU entities making funds available to those listed, and travel bans across EU territory.
These listings were adopted under an EU sanctions framework created in March 2024, which also includes trade restrictions on exports of equipment that could be used for internal repression or surveillance. The related legal acts have been published in the EU’s Official Journal.