EU Extends Sanctions Against 11 More Ukrainian Separatists And Russians

The European Union will add 11 more names to a list of people against whom the EU has initiated sanctions for their alleged involvement in the Ukraine crisis.

The latest round of sanctions follows a warning given by the EU during a June 27 summit when it had asked pro-Moscow rebels, fighting for secession from Ukraine, to stop the violence in the region. The new additions include Ukrainian separatists and Russian nationals, who will face asset freezes and travel bans after the list is officially announced on Saturday. The EU’s sanctions list currently includes nearly 61 people and two energy companies from Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March.

"The list consists mainly of Ukrainian separatists; there may be one or two Russians there as well," an official who attended the EU meeting regarding sanctions on Wednesday, told ITAR-TASS, a Russian news agency, adding: “The new names were added because of the non-compliance with the conditions set out by EU leaders in June."

The EU had asked pro-Russia separatists in the region to return control of Ukrainian border checkpoints to the government in Kiev and free hostages. The EU had also asked the rebels to obey a 10-day ceasefire announced by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in mid-June, who later called off the ceasefire after numerous violations.

Ukrainian authorities have claimed that Moscow is supplying the rebels with ammunition while the Kremlin has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier in June, the G-7 also threatened Russia with further sanctions if it did not help restore stability in the region, following which Russia supported Ukraine's presidential elections that brought the pro-EU Poroshenko to power.

Meanwhile, clashes between government forces and separatists have continued in eastern Ukraine. On Wednesday, Ukraine announced that it had a plan to take back the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which are being controlled by the rebels who claim that their numbers are continually being bolstered by new recruits, Reuters reported.