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EU targets firms behind the Crimean bridge
Summary
A look back at the sanctions the European Union imposed on six Russian companies on 31 July 2018.
What did the European Union aim at when it sanctioned six Russian companies on 31 July 2018? The targets were firms involved in building the bridge that links mainland Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula.
The measure fell within Russia–European Union relations and focused on a single piece of infrastructure rather than on Russia broadly. By naming companies tied to the construction, the EU placed the project itself under sanctions.
The wider setting
Crimea is part of Ukraine. Russia invaded and occupied the peninsula in February and March 2014, then annexed it after a referendum described as illegitimate. That took place amid the uncertainty that 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.
Seen against that background, the bridge was a physical link between Russia and territory it had annexed. The sanctions of 31 July 2018 put the companies that built it on the EU's list, and so tied the construction to the consequences of the annexation.
The decision covered six companies. It showed Brussels responding to the annexation through its handling of Russian firms working on the peninsula's connection to the Russian mainland.
