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Anti-Russian sanctions

EU extends Russia sanctions blacklist for six months — source

The blacklist, which was due to expire on September 15, includes 151 persons, namely Russian officials and businessmen, as well almost all officials of Ukraine's self-proclaimed republics

© AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic

BRUSSELS, September 2. /TASS/. The European Union has extended until March 15 the sanctions blacklist against entities and individuals of Russia and the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine, a European diplomatic source has said.

"The EU permanent representatives committee has taken a decision to extend the restrictive measure for six months," the source said.

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The decision will come into force after the publication in the EU Official Journal.

The blacklist, which was due to expire on September 15, includes 151 persons, namely Russian officials, politicians, businessmen and law enforcers, as well as practically all officials of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics.

All of them are banned from entering the European Union. Their assets, should any be identified in the European banks, are liable to a freeze. Also, on the same list there are 37 entities, including all known military and political agencies of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics. The European businesses are not allowed to have any contacts with them.

Moscow has repeatedly said that the Western sanctions introduced over the conflict in Ukraine are counter-productive. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier said "the fanning of confrontation and attempts at sanction pressures on Russia are a dead end."

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