On Monday, the European Union imposed sanctions on nearly 1,600 Russian individuals and companies tied to Russia’s arms industry, with a particular focus on those suspected of involvement in the production of drone and missile components.

In the largest single round of sanctions since the Kremlin launched its full-scale war on Ukraine nearly five years ago, the EU also targeted 77 people accused of organizing, working on, or running in “sham elections” in occupied parts of Ukraine.

In announcing the sanctions, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that more than half of them “address the production chain for the ballistic missiles Russia uses to kill Ukrainian civilians every day.”

"This is not the time to ease pressure on Moscow, but to increase it," she said.

The EU stated that the companies appear on a list drawn up by the Russian government itself “that identifies them as belonging to the Russian military-industrial complex, and they are therefore entitled to receive subsidies.”

The EU regards the officials at the helm of those companies as “supporting Russia’s military and industrial complex.”

It stated that the sanctions target “mid-level suppliers that represent the ‘core’ of the Russian military industry.”

The components they provide include electronics, communication equipment, radar and navigation systems, satellite and missile systems, as well as explosives and ammunition.

The move brings the total number of Russian officials and “entities” targeted by the EU to more than 4,500, among them President Vladimir Putin, oligarchs suspected of backing him and scores of lawmakers, as well as banks and the shadow fleet illicitly shipping oil.