EU sanctions ABS Electro network over Russian weapons technology

BRUSSELS, July 17, 2026 — The European Union widened its Ukraine sanctions targeting of Russia’s military-technology supply chain by listing an ABS Electro executive and five companies connected to the group. The measures took effect upon publication in the EU’s Official Journal on July 17.

The new entries include Irina Kharisova, chair of ABS Electro’s board of directors and a director of several group companies. The Council linked her to the group’s production of electronic and radio-electronic components and to industrial automation equipment supplied to Russian oil and gas facilities.

ABS Electro includes JSC VNIIR-Progress, which produces the Kometa antenna. The technology is designed to interfere with radio, satellite and radar frequencies while improving resistance to electronic interference. Its Kometa-M variant is used in Shahed and Geran unmanned aerial vehicles and guided bomb kits deployed in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The five listed companies are connected through ownership, management, shared addresses or business relationships within the group. They include businesses involved in electronic components and automated control systems for oil and gas refining, storage and transportation facilities.

The Council cited Russia’s escalating aggression and attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including energy, water and health facilities, in adopting the measures. It enacted the listings through Decision 2026/1780 and Implementing Regulation 2026/1779, which is directly applicable in all EU member states.

For compliance teams, the update adds Russian-language names, aliases, addresses, registration numbers and tax identifiers that may affect sanctions-list maintenance and screening matches.