US adds companies linked to Russia's VK and SORM systems to the sanctions list

The European Union (EU) has added numerous Russian IT companies to its sanctions list, including the Russian social media platform VK (VKontakte) and its subsidiary responsible for the Max App application. It was stated that the aforementioned applications are controlled by the Russian Security Service (FSB) and contain user surveillance functions targeting critics of the Ukraine war. Additionally, Citadel, VAS Experts, and Norsi-Trans companies, which produce technology for the SORM surveillance system, were also subjected to sanctions.

While asset freezes and EU entry bans are being implemented as part of the sanctions decisions, the total number of sanctioned individuals and entities in this context has reached 98. Separately, the EU punished nine individuals and four entities linked to the Russian military intelligence agency GRU under the cybersecurity regime framework, accusing them of creating a "malicious cyber ecosystem."

On the other hand, the EU and Ukraine demanded the immediate and unconditional return of Ukrainian civilians, especially children, from Russia and Belarus. The two parties called for pressure to be exerted on Moscow to clarify the situation of those arbitrarily detained and forcibly displaced in violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.