WASHINGTON DC, March 15. / TASS /. The United States tightens anti-Russian sanctions, blacklisted six individuals, and eight organizations affiliated with Russia, the US Treasury Department said in a report on Friday.

The sanctions lists includes Deputy Director of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation Gennadiy Medvedev, Head of the Service Command Point of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol Ruslan Romashkin, Head of the Coast Guard Unit of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation Andrei Shein, Head of the Border Directorate of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation Sergei Stankevich, as well as Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Alexey Naidenko, and secretary of the DPR Central Election Commission Vladimir Vysotsky.

Washington has imposed restrictions on Russian companies Oceanpribor, Fiolent factory, Sudokomposite, New Projects, Consol-Stroy, Zvezda, Yaroslavsky Shipbuilding Plant and Zelenodolsk Gorky Plant.

According to the US Treasury Department, these individuals and legal entities "took part in unjustified Russian attacks on Ukrainian warships in the Kerch Strait, the alleged annexation of Crimea and support for the illegal elections of the separatist government in eastern Ukraine."

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on November 25 that the Ukrainian warships, the Berdyansk, the Nikopol and the Yany Kapu had breached the Russian state border on Sunday morning and later attempted to carry out illegal maneuvers in Russia’s territorial waters later. The Ukrainian vessels ignored the legitimate demands of the Coast Guard of the FSB Border Service and the Black Sea Fleet to stop immediately and end their dangerous action.

The Ukrainian warships carried on, blatantly disregarding these orders, triggered a chase involving some gunfire to stop them. Consequently, the ships were detained in Russian territorial waters. Three Ukrainian military servicemen suffered light wounds and medical assistance was provided to them. The ships were convoyed to the port of Kerch. A criminal investigation has been opened into the border incident.