Paper short abstract:

This article aims to analyze the effectiveness of the implementation of sanctions instated by the European Union in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, and we seek to understand its impacts on human rights and consequences for the European Union's digital sovereignty.

Paper long abstract:

This article aims to analyze the effectiveness of the implementation of sanctions instated by the European Union in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, and we seek to understand its impacts and consequences. The analysis is based on a unique technical analysis of network interference and website blocking at the EU level, complemented with desk research on recent EU restrictive measures and their implementation. For our analysis, we engaged in wide-ranging network measurements in different networks in several EU countries to understand the means and methods of the implementation of the sanctions. To accompany, frame, and contextualise the measurements, we have done extensive policy analysis of EU digital sovereignty documents, as well as the policies and processes that have accompanied the sanction development and implementation. We found that sanctions against Russian entities are inconsistently implemented across the EU. The findings underline the disconnect between the EU political approach and the complexity of the technical measures needed to enforce those sanctions. Where the blocks are implemented, users are generally not informed about the reasons - nor offered the opportunity for due process - indicating a lack of human rights due diligence.