Brussels: The European Union on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, the country’s military chiefs, and other people close to the Kremlin in response to the escalating crisis in Ukraine.
The 27-nation group said it is freezing assets and imposing visa bans on high-ranking officials that include not only the heads of Russia’s army, navy and air force, but President Vladimir Putin’s chief of staff, and the editor-in-chief of state-run English language television channel RT, Al Jazeera reported.
Announcing the plan alongside French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian then, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned: “The sanctions will hurt Russia and will hurt a lot.”
The EU said those on the sanction list had been involved in military aggression against Ukraine, on behalf of the Kremlin.
