21 May 2025

EU Council Adopts 17th Sanctions Package Against Russia: For the First Time, Includes Measures for the Looting of Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Sites in Occupied Crimea

On 20 May, the Council of the European Union adopted the 17th package of economic and individual restrictive measures aimed at cutting off Russia’s access to key military technologies and limiting the energy revenues that fuel its war of aggression against Ukraine. The measures target, in particular, Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, their operators, and one of the country’s largest oil producers.

For the first time, the sanctions package includes restrictions in response to the looting of Ukrainian cultural heritage sites in temporarily occupied Crimea. The list now includes Olena Morozova, the so-called director of the Chersonesus Taurica museum-reserve in Sevastopol, which operates under the jurisdiction of the occupation administration. Since the beginning of the occupation, the museum has been used to promote pro-Russian narratives, undermine Ukrainian identity, and legitimize the criminal policies of the aggressor state.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Morozova has used the museum’s resources to support the actions of the Russian armed forces, including organizing the delivery of supplies to the front line.

The corresponding legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

With addition of 75 new entries (17 individuals and 58 entities), the EU’s restrictive measures in response to actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine now apply to over 2,400 individuals and entities. Those listed today are subject to asset freezes, and EU citizens and companies are prohibited from making funds available to them. Individuals are also subject to a travel ban, preventing them from entering or transiting through EU territory.