European Union envoys approved on Wednesday 1,646 new designations under the bloc's sanctions regime for Russia, with the majority focused on the country's military industrial complex.

Axar.az reports, citing Reuters, that according to three EU diplomats, more ​than half of the newly added entities and individuals are involved in ​the chain of production of Russia's ballistic missiles, such as the 9M723 ⁠Iskander-M, which can only be intercepted by US-made Patriot air defence systems.

Ukraine has ​virtually run out of these interceptors as the US military diverts resources to the Gulf, ​and Russia has seized on this vulnerability to ramp up ballistic missile strikes.

The designations include a range of entities involved in missile testing and research as well as the production of solid ​fuels and rocket engines for Russia's Iskander system. The EU is also targeting producers ​of specialised textiles and synthetic and carbon fibres used across a range of different missile systems, ‌one ⁠of the sources specified.

In addition, the list has drone manufacturers, shipyards that service submarines and 77 Russian politicians who ran for parliamentary seats in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.