Estonia has secured the removal of a Russian company and an associated individual from the European Union's draft 22nd sanctions package against Russia. The move was prompted by European industry's dependence on rare earth metals that the Russian enterprise exports to Estonian company NPM Silmet, according to infohub.kz.
The information was confirmed by Kerstin Lepik, press secretary at Estonia's representation in Brussels. According to her, Tallinn asked that the Russian supplier and the associated individual be temporarily left off the sanctions list, since the raw materials supplied are of strategic importance to the European economy. The name of the Russian company and the individual removed from the list were not disclosed.
The Russian enterprise supplies rare earth metals to Estonian company NPM Silmet, which processes them for further use in EU industry. NPM Silmet's products are essential for manufacturers of electric vehicles, wind turbines, and electronics, as well as for the automotive and aviation industries. Thus, restrictions on the Russian supplier could have affected several sectors of the European economy at once.
Estonia's representation stressed that NPM Silmet is already seeking alternative sources of raw materials, which it currently imports from Russia. At the same time, the exclusion of the Russian supplier from the sanctions list does not mean a final abandonment of restrictions. According to Lepik, in 2027 Estonia will again consider adding the company and the associated individual to the EU sanctions list.
On October 7, ambassadors of EU countries agreed on a new sanctions list against Russia. According to published data, it includes 743 individuals and 826 companies linked to the Russian military-industrial complex. The sanctions list agreed by the ambassadors still has to be approved at the level of the EU Council. The restrictions are expected to enter into force in the coming days.
The previous, 21st package of EU sanctions against Russia was adopted in July 2026. One of its main goals was to reduce Russian oil export revenues. It also included Alexander Klyukov, founder and CEO of Russian hosting company Beget. He is also director and co-owner of Beget Kazakhstan.
Notably, Estonia secured the removal of the Russian company from the sanctions list amid strengthening its own defense due to a potential threat from Russia. The Financial Times previously reported that the country is redeploying its main troops to a permanent location closer to the Russian border, and is also purchasing weapons capable of striking deep into Russian territory.