The Council of the EU sanctioned seven people on Tuesday 28 January for their actions in undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
These new designations result from the organisation of Russian local elections on 8 September 2019 in Ukraine, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the illegally annexed city of Sevastopol. The elections in Crimea and Sevastopol were not recognised by the EU (see EUROPE 12323/18).
"Through their participation in these elections, these persons have actively supported actions and implemented policies that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine", the EU Council said in a statement.
They are Sergei Danilenko, Lidia Basova and Ekaterina Pyrkova, respectively Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary of the Sevastopol Electoral Commission, and Ekaterina Altabaeva, member of the Council of the Russian Federation "representing the illegally annexed city of Sevastopol". The following will also be sanctioned: Yuriy Gorsanyuk, Prime Minister of the so-called 'Crimean Republic', Vladimir Nemtsev, President of the so-called 'Legislative Assembly' and Mikhail Razvozhaev, the so-called 'Acting Governor' of Sevastopol.
The decision, the legal acts of which were published on 28 January in the Official Journal of the EU, brings the total number of persons subject to restrictive measures to 177. 44 entities are also subject to an assets freeze. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)