BRUSSELS, March 9. /TASS/. New EU sanctions will be directed against the banking sector of Belarus, cryptocurrencies, including a ban on the supply of maritime navigation technologies to Russia, and blacklist another 160 businessmen and parliamentarians, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday on Twitter.

"We are further tightening the net of sanctions responding to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine - listing 160 individuals: oligarchs, Russian Federation Council members, Belarus banking sector, export of maritime navigation technology to Russia, adding crypto-assets," she wrote on Twitter.

As reported earlier on Wednesday by the French Presidency of the EU Council, the permanent representatives of the countries of the community agreed on new sanctions against Russian leaders and businessmen, as well as their families.

This package of sanctions is expected to be put into effect on the night of March 10.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.