EU sanctions ten Russian officials for blocking anti-war Yabloko party in elections
EU ministers approved sanctions on ten Russian judges, prosecutors and officials who barred the Yabloko opposition party from the recent parliamentary vote, freezing their assets and banning EU transactions.
EU foreign ministers on Sept. 28 agreed to sanction ten Russian officials responsible for excluding the Yabloko opposition party from the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary election. The package freezes assets of three Supreme Court judges, a prosecutor-general office official and other judges and public servants, and bars them from conducting business with EU companies. EU leaders said the election was marred by widespread fraud and was illegally held in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, a claim that also led Kyiv to impose its own sanctions.
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said restrictions will also target those enabling the sham elections in occupied territories, with a draft list of 77 names under review before a possible Oct. 12 decision. In a separate action, the EU added 27 entities linked to the forced transfer and indoctrination of over 20,000 Ukrainian children, including the Songdowon International Children’s camp in North Korea, ahead of a Toronto summit on the issue.
Why it matters
The sanctions heighten EU pressure on Russia for election repression and the kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report EU sanctions on Russian officials for blocking the Yabloko opposition party and for deporting Ukrainian children, but left-leaning coverage stresses election fraud and illegal voting in occupied Ukraine while right-leaning coverage highlights the forced deportation and assimilation of children.
LEFT
EU sanctions are presented as a response to Russian repression of the anti-war Yabloko party and illegal elections, with emphasis on fraud and occupation-related voting abuses.
RIGHT
EU sanctions are framed as a crackdown on Russia’s role in the forced deportation and assimilation of Ukrainian children and the exclusion of the Iabloko opposition party.
The left emphasises
- blocking anti-war Yabloko party
- widespread fraud and illegal elections in occupied Ukraine
- children abducted to camps in Russian-held regions
The right emphasises
- déportation et assimilation forcée d’enfants ukrainiens
- exclusion du parti d’opposition Iabloko
How this story developed
- Sep 12 Zelensky denounces EU talks to lift sanctions on Russian oligarchs
- Sep 15 EU Coreper authorized a week‑long postponement of the sanctions expiry.
- Sep 17 The European Commission will disburse €3.3 billion to Ukraine for missile and drone purchases, announced by Ursula von der Leyen following a call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Sep 21 Preliminary results show United Russia winning 355 of the 450 State Duma seats, surpassing its previous 2016 high. The foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway issued a joint statement condemning elections held in Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions seized by Russia as violations of Ukraine's sovereignty. They demanded accountability for those organizing the vote and urged Russia to end its war and accept an unconditional ceasefire. The same period saw France support the removal of oligarch Alisher Usmanov from the EU sanctions list, a move backed by Slovakia and linked to broader negotiations over detained French nationals in Azerbaijan.
- Sep 21 Western allies issued a joint declaration condemning the election as a breach of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
- Sep 22 EU announced a €3.3 billion release for Ukrainian missile and drone purchases.
- Sep 22 Latvia announced it will not back the proposal to delist Usmanov and Fridman, prompting an emergency cabinet meeting.
- Sep 23 Latvia ultimately abstained in the EU vote, enabling renewal of the wider sanctions package while accepting the delisting of Usmanov and Fridman.
- Sep 24 Reports allege that corporate managers pressured staff to vote for United Russia, suggesting coercion in the electoral process.
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