BRUSSELS, September 7. /TASS/. Ambassadors of 28 EU countries agreed at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to extend individual sanctions against the citizens of Russia and the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine for another six months, a source in the EU Council told TASS.

"Ambassadors of the EU countries approved today the extension of restrictive measures until March 15, 2017," the source said, adding that the decision is yet to be officially backed by all 28 EU countries at the meeting of the EU Council and published in the Official Journal.

The EU Council is expected to take the decision by September 15 when the current sanctions expire, the diplomat said. The blacklist includes 146 individuals and 37 legal entities. "We expect no changes in it," he added.

Last time the blacklist was extended for six months on March 9. The sanctions were introduced against representatives of the Russian leadership, politicians, businessmen and security officials as well as nearly all members of the leadership in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. All of these persons are banned from entering the EU and their bank assets are frozen.

Besides, the blacklist includes 37 organizations, among them military and political structures of the DPR and LPR. The European businesses cannot maintain any contacts with them.

The EU summit in October is due to hold a detailed discussion on relations with Russia and the possibility of lifting or weakening the sanctions regime starting from the beginning of 2017.