The EU imposed sanctions against Medvedev's aide and the HSE rector.

As part of its latest sanctions package, the European Union imposed restrictive measures against individuals, including AvtoVAZ CEO Maxim Sokolov, Assistant to Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev Oleg Osipov, and Rector of the Higher School of Economics (HSE) Nikita Anisimov. The document was published in the EU's Official Journal.

The reason cited for the sanctions listing was, in particular, Anisimov's statement that HSE would finance the training of participants in a special military operation and their children, as well as the launch of a master's program "dedicated to evading sanctions."

In Sokolov's case, the EU cited his connection to AvtoVAZ, which was also sanctioned. The company created a structural unit responsible for supporting its employees participating in the military operation and their families, the document states. It also notes that combatants are provided with benefits, including cars, and their maintenance costs are covered.

From 2018 to 2020, Osipov served as Medvedev's press secretary when he was still prime minister . Afterward, Osipov became his assistant while serving as deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council.

Among those sanctioned is Lieutenant General of the Korean People's Army Cha Yong Bum for his role in commanding a contingent of North Korean troops that participated in the liberation of the Kursk region.

The following were also subject to sanctions:

• First Deputy Minister of Culture of the LPR Yulia Velichko;
• General Director of JSC Sarapul Electric Generator Plant Alexey Belyaev;
• General Director of PJSC Dalpribor Roman Titkov;
• Head of JSC Sarapul Radio Plant Kirill Abdrakhmanov;
• Children's Rights Commissioner for Stavropol Krai Svetlana Adamenko and her colleague from Oryol Oblast Konstantin Domogatsky, as well as Commissioner for Novosibirsk Oblast Nadezhda Boltenko;
• head of the regional division of the “Movement of the First” in Crimea, Ekaterina Arlamenkova;
• Minister of Youth Policy of the LPR Mikhail Golubovich;
• Chief of the General Staff of the Yunarmiya movement Vladislav Golovin and others.

In total, the EU has added 21 individuals and 41 entities to its sanctions list. The new sanctions package is the 19th. It also prohibits transactions with five Russian banks, imposes restrictions on several Tajik banks, restricts the movement of Russian diplomats, and bans the import of Russian LNG under short-term contracts from April 25, 2026, and under long-term contracts from January 1, 2027.

The Russian authorities are demanding the lifting of Western sanctions. "We have already gained a certain immunity from sanctions . We have adapted to life under sanctions," the Kremlin noted.

Brussels has already begun work on a new, 20th sanctions package. According to Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, the restrictions are a "double-edged sword," and "each new package adds to the negative impact on the countries that join it."

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