The Council of the European Union on 13 July 2026 imposed restrictive measures on four individuals and five entities responsible for serious human rights violations in Russia, specifically targeting the use of surveillance technology to repress civil society and democratic opposition. The listings include VK Company (VKontakte) and its subsidiary Communication Platform LLC, which developed the Max App with extensive surveillance features pre-installed on mobile devices in Russia, later used against critics of Russia's war in Ukraine. Also sanctioned are Citadel, VAS Experts, and Norsi-Trans, companies involved in the System of Operative Investigative Measures (SORM), a surveillance system monitoring phone calls, emails, and social networks to target journalists, opposition figures, and minorities. The four individuals hold leadership positions in these firms. The sanctions freeze assets and ban travel to the EU for those listed, bringing the total to 98 individuals and seven entities under this regime established in March 2024 following Alexei Navalny's death. The EU condemned the deteriorating human rights situation in Russia, especially amid its war against Ukraine.
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