EU adds six Russian Duma deputies from Crimea to sanctions list
Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
Publication Date | 8 November 2016 |
Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, EU adds six Russian Duma deputies from Crimea to sanctions list, 8 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a21bf.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 08, 2016
Russia's ruling United Russia party holds a rally before the Duma elections in Crimea in September.
BRUSSELS – The European Union has added six new deputies in Russia's State Duma – all from Crimea – to its sanctions list over Russia's seizure and illegal annexation of the Ukrainian territory.
The six blacklisted State Duma deputies won their seats in Russia's September parliamentary elections.
The EU sanctions have been imposed on individuals and entities that, according to Brussels, are responsible for actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Asset freezes and visa bans were first imposed by the EU in March 2014 after Russia illegally annexed Crimea.
Those sanctions have been continued and expanded by a series of additional votes by EU officials in Brussels, including the most recent vote in September that has prolonged the sanctions for another six months.
The Russian Duma deputies from Crimea will be officially added to the sanctions list on November 9 when their names are published in the EU official journal.
That will bring the total number of sanctioned individuals to 152 – including Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Dmitry Kiselyov, who many regard as the Kremlin's chief propagandist.
There also are 37 entities targeted by EU sanctions. They include companies active in Crimea and military battalions formed by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak
Link to original story on RFE/RL website