The EU has extended until September 15th of this year the effect of individual sanctions against citizens and legal persons of Ukraine and Russia whom it considers responsible for undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine. This is stated in the journal of the EU published today. The updated blacklist includes 146 citizens of Russia and the proclaimed republics in the east of Ukraine, as well as 37 organizations.
"In light of continuing undermining or threatening of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, the decision should be extended for the next six months. The decision enters into force on the day after publication in the Official Journal," TASS cites the text of the document.
Formally, the extension of sanctions was confirmed by the decision of the EU Council on March 10th, it was approved without discussion by the heads of the Interior Ministries and Justice Ministries of the EU member states. "The decision enters into force on the day after publication in the Official Journal," the publication says.
The published document also notes that three men have been excluded from the blacklist in connection with their deaths. Those are a member of the Public Chamber of Crimea, Yury Zherebtsov, head of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Igor Sergun, and the commander of the sixth separate motorized infantry regiment of Cossack people's militia of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), Pavel Dremov.
The last time the blacklist was extended for Russia by six months was in September 2015. Then it consisted of 149 people, including representatives of the Russian leadership, Russian politicians, businessmen and security officials, as well as almost all the members of the leaderships of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). In addition to that, the list includes 37 organizations, including all the famous military and political structures of the DPR and LPR, with which European business is forbidden to maintain any kind of relations. Anyone who is on the list is banned from entering the EU, and their assets, in case of detection of such in European banks, will be frozen.
