TITLE: European Union Council Imposes Sanctions on Six Russian Individuals Involved in Chemical Weapons Development
BODY:
On July 3, 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted restrictive measures targeting six Russian individuals involved in the development of chemical weapons, specifically epibatidine. The toxin was identified in samples taken from Alexei Navalny's body following his death in a Russian penal colony, with investigators concluding that epibatidine poisoning was highly likely the cause of death.
The sanctioned individuals include Igor Babkin, head of the Signal Scientific Centre's (SC Signal) laboratory, where researchers developed and published articles on epibatidine synthesis. The Council also listed Irina Derevyagina, a chemical research analyst at Russia's State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology (GosNIIOKhT), which forms a central part of the Russian Chemical Weapons programme, and Mikhail Gutsalyuk, head of the department for organising scientific work at the Military Academy of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence. The remaining three individuals are scientists and researchers within the military sphere involved in chemical weapons development.
These sanctions expand the EU's restrictive measures against chemical weapons proliferation to encompass 31 individuals and 6 entities in total. Those listed face an asset freeze, prohibiting the provision of funds or economic resources directly or indirectly to them or for their benefit. Natural persons listed are also subject to a travel ban to the EU. The Council adopted the legal framework for these restrictive measures on October 15, 2018, under Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1544, with measures currently in force until October 16, 2026. The EU reaffirmed its commitment to countering chemical weapons proliferation and use, consistent with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (CWC). The relevant legal acts were published in the Official Journal of the EU.