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EU sanctions six firms over Crimea bridge
Summary
A look back at the European Union's measure against Russian companies involved in building the bridge to the annexed peninsula.
What did the European Union do on 31 July 2018 about the bridge linking mainland Russia to Crimea? It imposed sanctions on six Russian companies involved in the construction of the crossing, a step within the wider framework of Russia–European Union relations.
The measure targeted firms rather than the bridge itself, and it tied the construction directly to the peninsula's status. The bridge connects mainland Russia to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
The context of the annexation
In February and March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine, occupied it and then annexed it after an illegitimate referendum. That took place amid the uncertainty that immediately followed Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity. It was the first time since World War II that a European country had annexed part of another, and the invasion marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The sanctions of 31 July 2018 thus addressed infrastructure built on territory Ukraine and its partners regarded as occupied, and they placed the companies building it among the targets of the EU's restrictive measures.
