MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. The European Union has blacklisted Denis Merzlikin, whose company ASFPV manufactures the Veterok family of drones, and the Gortenzia design bureau that manufactures eponymous FPV drones, as well as Rotor and Signal defense enterprises.

According to a statement by the EU Council published in the Official Journal of the European Union, Merzlikin presents a security threat to Ukraine because his company’s products are in service with the Russian armed forces.

"Denis Merzlikin is the founder and director of the LLC "ASFPV", a Russian company that manufactures drones ("Veterok 7", "Veterok10", and "Veterok 13"), drone detectors (Gorn), and fibre-optic spools for the Russian Armed Forces," the document says.

Other blacklisted companies are Rotor, which produces and supplies pneumatic catapults installed on the launch vehicles for drones, and the Signal Instrumentation Association. The companies were targeted for their support to the Russian armed forces.

The measures against Russia’s defense industry were imposed as part of the European Union’s 21st package of anti-Russian sanctions.