The European Union on Tuesday imposed new sanctions targeting individuals and entities in Iran and Russia for human rights violations and hybrid threats, while also listing actors in Moldova and Haiti for destabilising activities.
Under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, eight individuals and one entity were designated for committing serious abuses on behalf of Iranian state bodies outside Iran. Among them are members of the Zindashti Network—labelled a criminal group with ties to Iran’s intelligence ministry—and Mohammed Ansari, a senior figure in the IRGC Quds Force Unit 840.
“These listings highlight the EU’s concern over transnational repression by Iranian agencies using organised crime networks to target dissidents, including within EU borders,” the Council said.
Sanctioned individuals face asset freezes, funding bans, and travel restrictions across the EU.
Separately, the EU added five Russian judges to its sanctions list for their role in jailing Russian opposition figure Alexei Gorinov, who was sentenced to a penal colony for criticising the war in Ukraine. The measures include asset freezes and travel bans.
The EU also sanctioned seven individuals and three entities in Moldova for attempting to destabilise the country ahead of its 2024 presidential election and EU accession referendum. Those listed are linked to pro-Russian politician Ilan Shor and accused of vote buying and illegal party financing.
Sanctioned entities include the Moscow-aligned company A7, the Victory/Pobeda Political Bloc, and the Cultural Educational Centre of Moldova.
In Haiti, three individuals were listed for criminal activities and gang violence, as the EU extended its sanctions framework on the country until July 2026.
In a separate action, the EU imposed sanctions on nine people and six entities over Russia’s global disinformation and interference operations. These include Russia’s state-owned broadcasting network RTRS, accused of replacing Ukrainian transmissions in occupied areas with Kremlin-approved programming.
Others sanctioned include a Russian military electronic warfare centre in Kaliningrad for GNSS signal jamming that disrupted Baltic civil aviation, as well as media fronts like Tigerweb and the Foundation to Battle Injustice.
Pro-Russian influencer Nathalie Yamb was also listed for promoting Kremlin narratives targeting France and the West.
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A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
Against a backdrop of mounting environmental pressure across Central Asia, the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has announced that the Regional Ecological Summit (RES) 2026 will take place from 22–24 April in Astana.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
Iran announced on Saturday (21 February) that it has designated the naval and air forces of European Union member states as “terrorist entities” in a reciprocal move after the EU blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
The former British ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson has been arrested by police in London on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
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