The EU and UK hit Russia with new sanctions. Moscow's energy revenue and spies are targeted.
'The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after the bloc agreed its new measures, including a new oil price cap.
Kallas said it's 'one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date' linked to the war, now in its fourth year. It comes as European countries start to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine to help the country better defend itself.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the new measures, describing them as a 'timely and necessary' step amid intensified Russian attacks.
'All infrastructure of Russia's war must be blocked,' Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine will synchronize its sanctions with the EU and introduce its own additional measures soon.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov brushed off the EU move, saying that 'we consider such unilateral restrictions unlawful.'
'At the same time, we have acquired certain immunity from sanctions. We have adapted to living under sanctions,' Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. 'We will need to analyze the new package in order to minimize negative consequences from it.'
The U.K., meanwhile, imposed sanctions on units of Russia's military intelligence service, GRU. Also added to the list were 18 officers the U.K. said helped to plan a bomb attack on a theatre in southern Ukraine in 2022 and to target the family of a former Russian spy who was later poisoned with a nerve agent.
Hundreds of civilians sheltering in the theatre in Mariupol were killed in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.
'GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilize Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens,' U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
NATO also condemned Russia's cyberattacks, saying in a statement that 'we will respond to these at a time and in a manner of our choosing, in accordance with international law, and in coordination with our international partners including the EU.'
The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, had proposed to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price, to target Russia's vast energy revenues. The 27 member countries decided to set the price per barrel at just under $48.
The EU had hoped to get major international powers in the Group of Seven countries involved in the price cap to broaden the impact, but the Trump administration could not be brought onboard.
Oil income is the linchpin of Russia's economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse.
A new import ban was also imposed in an attempt to close a loophole allowing Russia to indirectly export crude oil via a number of non-EU countries.
The EU also targeted the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany to prevent Putin from generating any revenue from them in future, notably by discouraging would-be investors. Russian energy giant Rosneft's refinery in India was hit as well.
The pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany but are not in operation.
On top of that, the new EU sanctions targeted Russia's banking sector, with the aim of limiting the Kremlin's ability to raise funds or carry out financial transactions. Two Chinese banks were added to the list.
The EU has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in February 24, 2022.
More than 2,400 officials and 'entities' — often government agencies, banks, companies or organizations — have been hit with asset freezes and travel bans.
But each round of sanctions is getting harder to agree, as measures targeting Russia bite the economies of the 27 member nations. Slovakia held up the latest package over concerns about proposals to stop Russian gas supplies, which it relies on.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had spoken to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico 'almost daily' in recent days to convince him to change his mind. 'But it took a very long time again — the processes are too sluggish,' he told reporters in Berlin.
The last raft of EU sanctions, imposed on May 20, targeted almost 200 ships in Russia's sanction-busting shadow fleet of tankers. On Friday, 105 more ships were blocked from European ports, locks and from ship-to-ship transfers, bringing the total number of vessels now sanctioned to more than 400.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Iran Boasts of New Air Defenses After Attacks From Israel, US
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Iran has "restored" its air defense network heavily targeted by Israel during last month's conflict, state media reported on Sunday, citing a senior Iranian military official. Why It Matters Israel homed in on Iran's air defense network ahead of launching its strikes on the country's nuclear sites and other military targets in June. Iran retaliated, the repeated exchange of strikes becoming what has been dubbed the 12-day war. Israel quickly said it had established "full aerial superiority" over the Iranian capital and the area west of Tehran, meaning it could operate its advanced aircraft over Iran with little fear they could be shot down by air defenses. Israel's knocking out of Iranian air defenses also cleared the path for U.S. aircraft to launch their own strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran then attacked the U.S.'s Al Udeid military base in Qatar before a ceasefire was reached. A Russian-made S-300 air defense system, right, is on display for the annual Defense Week, marking the 37th anniversary of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, at Baharestan Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. A Russian-made S-300 air defense system, right, is on display for the annual Defense Week, marking the 37th anniversary of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, at Baharestan Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. KHOSHIRAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images What To Know Israel's "first targets" during the June war between the two countries were Iran's radars and air defense systems, Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, the deputy chief of operations for the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, said in comments carried by several state media and semiofficial outlets. Mousavi said "some" air defenses were damaged. Israeli national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said in June the Israeli military had destroyed "dozens and dozens" of Iranian air defense systems. "With the efforts of my comrades, however, the damaged systems were replaced and deployed at predetermined locations," Mousavi said. Newsweek has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. There are many types of air defenses, including large ground-based systems designed to intercept advanced missiles or keep aircraft far away from key targets. Iran has operated a mixture of domestically-made and imported air defense systems, including the Russian-manufactured S-300 long-range system and the shorter-range Tor. The Context President Donald Trump's administration has insisted Iran's nuclear sites were "obliterated" after the U.S. strikes last month, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer. Some intelligence assessments have been more cautious in their view of how far back the U.S. "bunker buster" bombs and missiles set back Iran's nuclear program. Iran has long said its nuclear program is peaceful, but its officials have openly floated discussions on whether Tehran needs nuclear weapons. Experts say highly enriched uranium, far beyond that needed for non-weaponized nuclear development, has been found in Iran and it would not be hard for Tehran to make the leap toward a nuclear weapon. Israel said in June the Iranian government was on the verge of a nuclear weapon, something the U.S. and many other Western countries have consistently deemed unacceptable. After the U.S. strikes, Iran stopped cooperating with United Nations nuclear inspectors. Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday Tehran had agreed to resume nuclear talks with the U.K, France and Germany, citing an anonymous source. Newsweek was unable to verify the report. France, the U.K. and Germany told Iran on Thursday that they would restore U.N. sanctions unless it reopened talks on its nuclear program immediately and produced concrete results by the end of August. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Friday "any new round of talks is only possible when the other side is ready for a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial nuclear deal." If France, the U.K. and Germany—or the European Union—"want to have a role," Araghchi said, "they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the 'snapback' for which they lack absolutely no moral and legal ground." This term refers to the process of reinstituting sanctions. "It was the US that withdrew from a two-year negotiated deal—coordinated by EU in 2015—not Iran; and it was US that left the negotiation table in June this year and chose a military option instead, not Iran," the foreign minister said. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), often referred to simply as the Iran nuclear deal, during the Republican's first term. The agreement was signed in 2015. What People Are Saying Mousavi said Iran had "managed to restore airspace coverage using existing systems and by deploying new replacements." The Chief of Iran's General Staff, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, said on Friday that the country's air defenses had proved their "ability to withstand all levels of threats."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UK secretly resettled thousands of Afghans after major data leak raised safety fears
Thousands of Afghans have been secretly relocated to the UK after a data leak by the British military revealed their identities and raised fears that they could be targeted by the Taliban. A dataset containing the details of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was released in error in 2022, and parts of it were later published online, British Defence Secretary John Healey said on Tuesday. That prompted the previous Conservative government to establish a secret programme to resettle the Afghans — many of whom worked with British forces — and their families. The Afghanistan Response Route, set up in April 2024, was made public on Tuesday after the UK's current Labour government lifted a legal ruling known as a superinjunction that had been obtained by the former government in order to keep the scheme secret. About 4,500 people — 900 applicants and approximately 3,600 family members — have been brought to the UK under the programme, and about 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the time it closes, at a total cost of £850 million (€979 million). However, the ultimate cost of the incident is expected to be higher as the British government is also facing litigation from people affected by the breach. Healey offered a "sincere apology" for the data breach in a statement to lawmakers in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, and said that he had felt "deeply concerned about the lack of transparency" around the breach. "No government wishes to withhold information from the British public, from parliamentarians or the press in this manner," he said. Related Taliban leader declares Western laws unnecessary in Afghanistan British couple arrested in Afghanistan to be released 'as soon as possible,' Taliban says 'Incredibly serious data breach' The blunder by an unnamed official at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) was a "serious departmental error" and a result of a spreadsheet being emailed "outside of authorised government systems" in early 2022, according to Healey. The spreadsheet contained the details of 18,714 Afghan nationals who had been trying to apply to a British government scheme to support those who helped or worked with UK forces in Afghanistan that were fighting the Taliban between 2001 and 2021. The MoD only became aware of the breach in August 2023, after the excerpts of the database posted on Facebook, according to British media reports. Barings Law, a law firm that is representing hundreds of the victims, accused the government of trying to conceal the truth from the public. "This is an incredibly serious data breach, which the Ministry of Defence has repeatedly tried to hide from the British public," said Adnan Malik, head of data protection at the firm. "It involved the loss of personal and identifying information about Afghan nationals who have helped British forces to defeat terrorism and support security and stability in the region." Related Tens of thousands of Afghans return from Pakistan after deadline Australian whistleblower David McBride loses appeal over Afghan war crimes leak About 36,000 Afghans in total have been relocated to the UK under various resettlement routes since the fall of Kabul in August 2021, according to the ministry of defence. In the summer of 2021, the US decided to lead a withdrawal of western forces — including British troops — from Afghanistan, which allowed the Taliban to seize power. That left tens of thousands of people who had helped the UK and other nations during 20 years of western military presence in the nation at risk of retribution from the Taliban.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
How World War II POWs rolled the dice on Monopoly to win their freedom
In the bitter winter of 1941, British military prisoners in Nazi-occupied Germany huddled around a Monopoly set, dazzled by the contents that awaited them. They didn't pluck Community Chest cards. They looked past the thimble and race-car tokens, ignored the tiny houses and phony deeds. The real treasures were hidden within the board and its packaging: tools that could be the difference between making a daring escape and staring down a firing squad. To unsuspecting captives and guards patrolling nearby, it looked like any other edition of the board game ubiquitous in homes across the United States and Europe. But for Britain's covert MI9 intelligence unit, this doctored Monopoly set was a Trojan horse — one of many that helped Allied troops break out of prisoner-of-war camps and find their way to safety during World War II. 'While Monopoly is considered a plaything . . . its role during the war belied any triviality,' writes Philip E. Orbanes in 'Monopoly X: How Top-Secret World War II Operations Used the Game of Monopoly to Help Allied POWs Escape, Conceal Spies, and Send Secret Codes' (Harper, July 15), his fourth book focused on the iconic tabletop game. 4 British army officers enjoy a game of Monopoly in 1942. Getty Images These deceptive parcels, smuggled among authentic games, often included forged identification, a miniature compass, fake uniforms, real currency and coded messages from back home. They served as 'Get Out of Jail Free' cards for thousands of Allied prisoners. 'Monopoly was selected to smuggle escape aids because its game board was large and accommodative — and because the vast majority of service men and women knew and desired it,' writes Orbanes, former head of research and development at the game's American originator, Parker Brothers. The scheme was conceived in the mind of Christopher Clayton Hutton, a World War I vet and amateur illusionist known as 'Clutty.' The MI9 operative believed anything — even a children's game — could be weaponized. Clutty realized Monopoly sets were manufactured in the same Leeds factory that produced silk maps for airmen. Since the fabric didn't crinkle or tear like paper, it was the perfect material for slipping past Nazi sentries. He teamed up with Norman Watson — head of Britain's Monopoly licensee, Waddingtons — to turn the game into a stealth survival pack. In a secure basement nicknamed 'the Beast,' workers hollowed out game boards and concealed instruments for escape. Abnormal markers, such as an errant red dot on the board's Free Parking corner, signified the package's intended destination and tipped off recipients in the know. Before deployment, Allied airmen were taught to spot doctored sets and wield the items to their advantage. The games arrived packaged with food and other rations sent to prison camps from fictitious humanitarian organizations, addressed to specific POWs trained to coordinate escape efforts and decode instructions from back home, which sometimes incorporated altered playing cards. The first true test of the loaded Monopoly kits came at the infamous German fortress Colditz Castle, a medieval Saxony prison reserved for high-flight-risk Allied captives. British Lt. Airey Neave and Dutch officer Tony Luteyn staged a high-stakes escape in 1941. The two men donned fraudulent uniforms, slipped out through a service shaft, scaled a tall wall and trudged through freezing conditions to flee the facility. Despite dangerous brushes with German authorities via public transit, they crossed Nazi Germany undetected, never looking back until they made it to Switzerland. 'Every British airman who made it home improved the morale of fellow airmen and provided further return on the £10,000 cost of his training — a substantial sum for the time,' Orbanes writes. The success of these escape aids inspired US military officials to adopt similar tactics, launching a Virginia-based intelligence agency called MIS-X in 1942. This organization purchased the classic board game in bulk, dubbing manipulated versions Monopoly X (as opposed to the unaltered Monopoly V, for 'vanilla') and coordinating their delivery to servicemen trapped behind enemy lines. One unidentified escaper, Orbanes notes, likened getaways to actual gameplay, 'avoiding the spaces with houses and hotels . . . until we reached safety.' 4 Fake documents, maps, money and other vital escape items could all be stashed within the hollowed-out Monopoly X game board — which escapees would then destroy to keep the secret safe. Philip E. Orbanes As the first British officer to roll the dice on the rigged Monopoly set and win, Neave joined MI9 to help coordinate similar underground operations across Europe. These networks comprised ordinary civilians risking it all to shuttle soldiers across international borders. Those everyday heroes included bada– women like Benoîte Jean, a French resistance fighter who disarmed men with her alluring looks and kept cooler than Swiss snowbanks when engaging in espionage. The Monopoly mademoiselle (code name: Nori, a reversal of the iron-shaped playing piece) stashed within a lipstick tube sensitive information about a crucial German bombing target. She escorted escaped airmen to Brussels en masse and hid microfilm messages for foreign officials beneath artificial fingernails. On one mission to inform an American intelligence official of traitors in the White House, Jean was intercepted by a major in Hitler's military-police unit who attempted to coerce her into accompanying him to his hotel room for sex. She played along just long enough to gain the upper hand. Then Jean mounted the Gestapo officer and drove his dagger into his neck. 'Tears filled her eyes,' Orbanes writes, recreating the act of self-preservation, 'and her breath came in spasms as he died.' 4 French resistance fighter Benoîte Jean stabbed a German officer with his own dagger. Courtesy of Waldemar van Zedtwitz For all the wartime bravery and ingenuity 'Monopoly X' uncovers, there was also a snake. Enter Harold Cole: a British army deserter loyal only to his own interests. After leading scores of stranded soldiers from Belgium to Marseille, the smooth-talking Cole became a double agent, feeding German intelligence agents information about resistance members and safe houses. 'Cole's heart was as black as a winter's night,' Orbanes writes. 'And just as cold.' Equal parts charming and deceptive, the Monopoly-obsessed turncoat (code name: Top Hat) routinely evaded capture or talked his way out of dangerous situations. His betrayal was so damaging to Allied escape missions, he was targeted in a 1944 failed assassination in Paris. The would-be shooter was a British captain and former POW who became romantically involved with Jean after she led him to freedom. But the Top Hat's demise came two years later, after he weaseled his way into the postwar American occupying forces to rip off fugitive Nazis. He was shot dead in a standoff with a French policeman who'd become hip to his treacherous track record. 'The heroics and flaws of many dissimilar people were linked by Monopoly's secrets,' Orbanes writes. Still, no one traitor could undermine Monopoly's massive success in helping liberate captured soldiers. Perhaps the operation's greatest achievement is it remained confidential, operating under the noses of Nazi guards until Germany surrendered to Allied forces in 1945. Servicemen who received the doctored sets protected the secret by stringently destroying and disposing of them after extracting their gifts. When the war ended, the classified British and American agencies that used Monopoly for spycraft destroyed records of their existence and obligated privy parties to keep quiet. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and members of Congress were ignorant of the operation. 'Parker Brothers — the firm that had made Monopoly a household name — would not know, until decades later, that its game was used to smuggle escape aids,' Orbanes writes. 'Something stirs the heart when contemplating how an 'innocent' means of home entertainment affected a global struggle.'
