The EU imposed sanctions against ANO Dialog and the Institute of Russian Abroad

The EU imposed sanctions against five organizations and seven individuals, including the Inforos news agency, the Institute of Russian Abroad, ANO Dialog, the Social Design Agency and the Struktura group of IT companies

The European Union expanded sanctions against Russia by adding seven more individuals and five legal entities to the document. The document was published in the Official Journal of the EU.

The list included:

agency "Inforos" - the EU believes that it has founded more than 270 proxy publications "distributing propaganda" in support of the military operation in Ukraine . Back in 2020, the Associated Press wrote that InfoRos was spreading fake news about the coronavirus aimed at an American audience. According to the AP, the agency's managing directors Denis Tyurin and Alexander Starunsky previously worked in intelligence; Social Design Agency - According to the EU, it is "a key player in the campaign responsible for the creation of fake websites impersonating government organizations and legitimate media in Europe", and part of the "disinformation campaign" launched after the start of the military operation in Ukraine; group of IT companies "Structure" - its European authoritiesare also considered part of this campaign; Institute of Russian Abroad - The document claims that the organization spreads "Russian disinformation". The institute's website states that the organization "implements projects that help strengthen integration in the Eurasian space and consolidate the Russian world"; the government center for the development of digital projects in the field of public relations and communications ANO "Dialogue" - the sanctions document claims that it is associated with the telegram channels Readovka and "War against fakes", which distribute "Russian propaganda". The organization’s website says that the goal of ANO Dialog is to combine technological and management solutions in a digital environment to speed up the resolution of issues that people apply to the authorities.”COVID-19 .

According to the European Union, these organizations "threaten the integrity, sovereignty and independence" of Ukraine.

The head of the department for the development of strategic directions of ANO Dialog Timofey Vasilyev (Timofey Vi), who, as the document says, runs the War on Fake Channel, Sergey Panteleev and Denis Tyurin, founder of the Institute of Russian Abroad Alexander Starunsky and founder of the Agency for Social design by Ilya Gambashidze. Sanctions were also imposed against Anastasia Kirillova and Nina Dorokhova, who are called the founders of Inforos.

RBC sent inquiries to the Inforos agency, the Social Design Agency, Struktura Group of Companies LLC, the Institute of Russian Abroad, Dialog ANO.

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Politico, citing European diplomats, writes that the EU has also agreed on sanctions against Belarus. The package will include export restrictions on dual-use items such as drones or computers, as well as aircraft parts.

In addition, according to four interlocutors of the publication, the restrictions will affect 38 individuals and three legal entities.

The newspaper notes that negotiations on the imposition of sanctions against Belarus are complicated by the issue of potash fertilizers, as EU countries such as Portugal ask to exempt these fertilizers from future sanctions to ensure global food security. At the same time, other countries, such as Lithuania, are in favor of imposing restrictions.

Moscow considers the imposed sanctions illegitimate. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that EU leaders "are unable to get out of the vicious circle of restrictions and recognize the futility" of pressure on Russia.