The European Union has approved its 21st sanctions package against Russia. For the first time, the restrictions target the oil terminal and refinery complex in Kulevi, Georgia, as well as 14 cryptocurrency platforms, including some registered in Georgia.

The EU had previously considered sanctioning the Kulevi facility while preparing its 20th package. However, the site was removed from the final list after—according to Brussels—Georgian authorities and the terminal operator pledged to rectify the situation. This was conveyed by David O'Sullivan, the EU Special Envoy for Sanctions, in a letter to Maka Bochorishvili, the head of the Georgian Foreign Affairs Committee.

Now, the European Union has revisited the issue. The new package bans transactions with the Kulevi refinery complex, which processes and sells Russian oil. The restrictions will take effect in six months, giving the enterprise a window to avoid sanctions by changing its policies.

Overall, the 21st package targets sectors that the EU assesses as continuing to generate the most revenue for Russia to wage war against Ukraine. The new restrictions affect the energy sector, financial services, and the cryptocurrency industry. Additionally, sanctions have been imposed on more than 50 companies linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, as well as on 218 individuals and entities. This marks one of the most significant expansions of the sanctions regime since the start of the full-scale war.

Salome Zourabichvili, the fifth President of Georgia—who does not recognize the legitimacy of the current government—responded to the EU's decision.

"The European Union's 21st sanctions package reveals a national disgrace: Georgian assets are being used to fuel the Russian war machine." "By allowing the Kremlin to bypass sanctions, those in power are betraying our sovereignty.

Georgia belongs in Europe, and we will never become a back door for Russian aggression," she wrote on her Facebook page.