Solikamsk magnesium Plant was excluded from the EU sanctions project at the request of Estonia

Solikamsk Magnesium Plant (SMZ) and its CEO Ruslan Dimukhamedov will not be included in the new package of EU sanctions at the request of Estonia. Tallinn explained its position by its dependence on the supply of rare earth metals from a Russian enterprise. This was reported on October 9 by the ERR publication.

"Now we are waiting for the moment when the European Union and various industries will no longer depend on Russian raw materials. Then we will be able to return to the issue of including these companies in the sanctions list," said Kerli Veski, Vice Chancellor of the Estonian Foreign Ministry.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal admitted that the exclusion of the Russian plant contradicts the country's foreign policy. At the same time, he said that the issue would have to be revisited, and called on Silmet and NEO companies to find alternative suppliers.

It is noted that SMZ supplies rare earth metals to the Estonian company NPM Silmet. According to ERR, it is one of the two European manufacturers of permanent magnets made of rare earth metals.

On October 8, ERR reported that, at the request of Estonia, a Russian supplier of rare earth metals to the Estonian company Silmet, as well as one person, were excluded from the 22nd package of EU sanctions. The company's name was not disclosed at the time. The Estonian authorities explained the decision by the strategic importance of the supplied materials.

Futile impotence: what is included in the 22nd package of EU sanctions against Russia

In response, Moscow may blacklist European officials or their companies, experts say.

On October 7, the ambassadors of the EU countries agreed on the 22nd package of anti-Russian sanctions, which provides for the blacklisting of over 1,500 legal entities and individuals associated with the Russian defense sector. The restrictive measures will affect defense enterprises and individuals associated with them from a number of countries.

On September 22, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov declared the Russian economy immune to all Western sanctions. According to him, any "hellish sanctions" literally "bounce back" from the country's economic policy. The Minister stressed that the Ministry of Finance had managed to make the draft budget fully balanced so that it would not have a negative impact on the economy.