BRUSSELS, November 9. /TASS/. The European Union has added all deputies of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, elected from Crimea and Sevastopol, to its sanctions blacklist, according to an EU Council decision published in the EU’s official journal on Wednesday.

The sanctions blacklist includes five deputies from Crimea: Konstantin Bakharev, Ruslan Balbek, Andrei Kozenko, Svetlana Savchednko and Pavel Shperov and deputy from Sevastopol Dmitry Belik.

Two more Crimean deputies - Natalia Poklonskaya and Mikhail Sheremet - were included in the EU’s sanctions blacklist earlier.

The decision takes effect from the moment it is published, i.e. from Wednesday, the EU’s statement said.

Therefore, starting from November 9, the EU’s sanctions blacklist includes 157 citizens of Russia and Ukraine and 37 organizations, mostly state structures and military formations from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

Special attention in the EU’s blacklist is paid to the State Duma deputies: the leadership of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, including the leaders of the basic parliamentary factions, comprised the basis of the EU’s first blacklist approved in March 2014 immediately after Crimea reintegrated into Russia.

All the blacklisted persons are denied access to the EU territory and its banking system. The EU Council extends the effect of this sanctions measure every six months. Now its effect will last through March 17.