EU sanctions Russian spy tech firms and prison colony

The European Union has unleashed a wave of targeted sanctions punishing Russian technology companies for tracking citizens and penal colony leaders for torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The immediate-effect restrictions hit 11 Russian nationals and five companies, cutting them off from economic activity within the bloc and freezing any EU-based assets, News.Az reports, citing RBC-Ukraine.

A major focus of the penalty package is Russia's expanding domestic surveillance apparatus. The EU explicitly targeted tech firms developing tools used by the Federal Security Service (FSB) to track dissent.

The key tech entities hit by the sanctions include:

VK & Communication Platform LLC: The heavyweights behind Russia's state-backed Max messaging app. The EU revealed the pre-installed "super-app" lacks encryption and features built-in tracking mechanisms designed to punish users who criticize the war in Ukraine.

Citadel, VAS Experts, & Norsi-Trans: Technology firms responsible for building Russia's notorious SORM surveillance system. SORM grants the FSB unrestricted access to users' phone calls, text messages, live internet traffic, and geolocation data.

Beyond tech infrastructure, the EU placed a heavy crosshair on the leadership of Penal Colony No. 10 in Russia's Mordovia region.

The decision follows horrifying accounts from former detainees detailing systemic human rights violations against hundreds of held Ukrainian civilians and POWs. Evidentiary reports cited regular beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, mock executions, and the deliberate denial of medical attention.

While the package passed swiftly, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, managed to escape the blacklist yet again. Despite overwhelming calls from several member states to sanction the religious leader, a last-minute blocking position by Bulgaria forced his name off the final draft.