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EU sanctions hit Russian intelligence officials

26 July 2014 08:30 (UTC +04:00)

In the early hours of Saturday, the EU also announced an asset freeze and travel ban on 18 Ukrainian separatist groups and Crimea-based state-run firms, as well as 15 people including the heads of Russia's Federal Security Service, the FSB, the Chechen president and the head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, APA reports quoting The Wall Street Journal.

The EU on Thursday agreed to add 18 entities to its sanctions list. The bloc confirmed early Saturday the list included the so-called Lugansk People's Republic, the Donetsk People's Republic, the so-called Federal State of Novorossiya and six separatist militias or paramilitary organizations.

Among the prominent individuals that will face a visa ban and an asset freeze are the head of the Russian Federal Security Service or FSB, Aleksandr Bortnikov, the director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service Mikhail Fradkov and several other senior officials from Russia's Security Council, including Boris Gryzlov.

The bloc also targeted Russian lawmaker Mikhail Degtyarev, Russian regional Governor Alexander Tkachyov and Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen president who made statements in support of the annexation of Crimea in March, according to the EU.

The EU added six senior separatist officials to its sanctions list including Valery Kaurov, the self-proclaimed leader of the 'Republic of Novorossiya' and Pavel Gubarev, who the EU described as one of the self-proclaimed leaders of the separatist People's Republic of Donetsk. It also targeted nine Crimea-based companies or institutions whose assets were transferred to the state when the Ukrainian region was annexed by Moscow.