EU Extends Sanctions on Individuals over Ukraine

The European Union on Thursday extended by six months sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals over the conflict in Ukraine, it said in a statement.

The blacklist of travel bans and asset freezes against nearly 150 people is in addition to sweeping economic sanctions against Russia's defense, financial and energy sectors that have infuriated President Vladimir Putin.

EU member states represented in the European Council "prolonged by six months the application of EU restrictive measures targeting actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence," the statement said. 

"These sanctions consist of an asset freeze and a travel ban against 146 persons and 37 entities. They have been extended until 15 March 2017," it added.

The list includes Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, targeted for backing Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in March 2014.

It also included Arkady Bakhin and Anatoly Antonov, the defense and deputy defense ministers, along with tycoon Arkady Rotenberg.

The EU has imposed a series of punitive measures since Moscow annexed Crimea and the Ukraine crisis morphed into a bloody war in the east in 2014.

In July, the EU extended for another six months to January 2017 damaging economic sanctions because Moscow had not lived up to its Minsk ceasefire commitments.

A third set of sanctions, imposed against individuals and companies said to have aided Russia's annexation of Crimea, were rolled over for a year in June.

Moscow says all the sanctions are ineffective and counter-productive to ending a conflict which has now cost nearly 10,000 lives.