EU Slaps New Sanctions on Iran's UAV Program

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei listens to commander of the missile unit in the Revolutionary Guard, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, near a model of the Shahid 147 (Iranian Supreme leader official Website)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei listens to commander of the missile unit in the Revolutionary Guard, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, near a model of the Shahid 147 (Iranian Supreme leader official Website)
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EU Slaps New Sanctions on Iran's UAV Program

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei listens to commander of the missile unit in the Revolutionary Guard, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, near a model of the Shahid 147 (Iranian Supreme leader official Website)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei listens to commander of the missile unit in the Revolutionary Guard, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, near a model of the Shahid 147 (Iranian Supreme leader official Website)

The EU Council imposed restrictive measures against 6 persons and 5 entities involved in Iran's development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) used in Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, an official statement read on Monday.

"These are the first listings under the newly established framework for restrictive measures in view of Iran's military support of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. They complement the previous four rounds of listings on Iranian drones already adopted under other sanctions regimes," the report said.

The new listings include the company Shakad Sanat Asmari, its CEO, deputy CEO and chief scientist; other companies manufacturing components for UAVs, namely Baharestan Kish Company and its managing director, Saad Sazeh Faraz Sharif and its CEO, as well as Sarmad Electronic Sepahan Company, offering aerospace engineering services, and companies helping Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) improve the UAV programme (Kimia Part Sivan Company).

Those targeted will be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban to the European Union. Also, the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed is prohibited.



Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Names New Land Forces Chief, Says Changes Needed

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Names New Land Forces Chief, Says Changes Needed

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy replaced the commander of the military's land forces on Friday, putting Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi in charge, as Russia notches up gains in the east and Kyiv's troops face manpower shortages.

Zelenskiy said "internal changes" were needed as he announced the 42-year-old would replace Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, who took the helm of the land forces in a major shake-up in February 2024.

"The main task is to increase noticeably the combat efficiency of our army, ensure the quality of servicemen training, and introduce innovative approaches to people management in Ukraine's Armed Forces," Zelenskiy said.

"The Ukrainian army needs internal changes to achieve our state's goals in full," he said on Telegram after meeting his top military and government officials.

Drapatyi is well respected in the army and military analysts praised his appointment. Drapatyi took command of the Kharkiv front in May and managed to stop the Russian offensive in the northeast, stabilizing the front.

Zelenskiy also said that he appointed Colonel Oleh Apostol, commander of the 95th separate air-assault brigade, as a deputy to army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

He praised both Drapatyi and Apostol, saying "they had proved their efficiency on the battlefield".

Ukraine is on the back foot on the battlefield as it fights a much bigger and better-equipped enemy 33 months after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Russian forces are steadily advancing in the eastern Donetsk region. Syrskyi, the army chief, said on Friday he would strengthen troops deployed on the eastern front with reserves, ammunition, and equipment as he visited two key Ukrainian-held sites in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine has also lost about 40% of the territory it captured in Russia's Kursk region in a surprise incursion in August, as Russian forces have mounted waves of counter-assaults.

The head of the land forces oversees mobilization efforts during the war.

Military analysts say Ukraine's military is experiencing manpower shortages, making it harder to rotate troops out of the more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of frontline or to build up reserve forces.