EU Adds 15 Names, 18 Entities to Ukraine Sanctions List as Moscow Warns

The European Union will add to its sanctions list 15 Ukrainian and Russian individuals and 18 entities over their role in the Ukraine crisis, an EU source said Thursday.

The source said the 18 entities will be made up of nine companies and nine institutions, such as the local authorities set up by pro-Russian rebels that have proclaimed independence in eastern Ukraine.

The ambassadors from the 28 member states were following through on a decision taken by EU leaders last week to extend the sanctions list.

There are currently 72 names hit with visa bans and asset freezes after Russia showed no sign of meeting demands to reverse course and cut support for the rebels.

The actual names added to the list are most likely be published on Friday or perhaps Saturday, EU officials said earlier.

The EU ambassadors were also discussing plans to move beyond the bloc's current mix of visa bans and asset freezes, under pressure to do more after the alleged shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last week by the rebels using a Russian-made missile.

EU foreign ministers had agreed on Tuesday to speed up sanctions against Russia and to examine tougher measures, including in the defense sector, as a result.

They said the new list would accordingly include "entities and persons, including from the Russian Federation," for their role in stoking the crisis and aiding Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.

They also agreed to finalize work on tougher, sectoral measures and to "present proposals for taking action, including on access to capital markets, defense, dual-use goods and sensitive technologies, including in the energy sector."

Such tougher measures, however, have proved very divisive because some EU member states, such as Germany and Italy, have extensive economic ties with Russia which they fear could be harmed by wider sanctions.

Other states, led by Britain and including former Soviet-era states such as Poland and Lithuania, want much tougher action.

Washington too has pressed for a harder line, announcing last week that it planned to curb Russian access to its financial markets.

The Financial Times reported earlier that Brussels would consider similar steps but these were likely to take longer to agree, another EU source said.

Earlier on Thursday, Russia's ambassador to Britain said Western sanctions over Ukraine are illegal and further measures would indicate a cover-up over the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

Alexander Yakovenko told a news conference in London that the Kremlin was not responsible for supplying weapons to pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine accused of downing the airliner.

"The Western sanctions against Russia, first of all we believe they are illegal, unreasonable and counterproductive," Yakovenko told reporters.

"Russia doesn't supply weapons to local de facto (separatist) authorities in eastern Ukraine. No evidence whatsoever has been presented that the Russian government has been doing this," he added.

"Needless to say, we will consider any further sanctions against us and the measures of political pressure as the clear evidence that our Western partners cannot substantiate their allegations and (are) eager to engage in a cover-up of the true causes of the MH17 tragedy."

Both Washington and Brussels have so far held back from sanctions targeting whole sectors of the Russian economy, which Yakovenko said could have serious consequences.

"In my view the sectoral sanctions against Russia will trigger a long-anticipated end-game of the present global crisis," he warned.

The Russian envoy urged Western nations to wait for the results of the investigation into the crash last Thursday over eastern Ukraine, which killed nearly 300 people.