The European Union has released the names of 15 individuals targeted by fresh sanctions over their roles in the Ukraine crisis.
The list, released on April 29, brings to 48 the total number of people whose assets are frozen and who won't be allowed to travel within the EU.
The new sanctions list includes General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, and Lieutenant General Igor Sergun, who was identified as the head of the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU).
It also includes Igor Strelkov, named by the EU as a member of GRU who was involved in recent incidents in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who was responsible for the overseeing of the integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation, also was named, along with others involved in Russia's annexation of the peninsula -- such as the acting governor of Sevastopol, Sergei Menyailo, the Russian president's official representative in Crimea, Oleg Belaventsev, and the Russian government's minister for Crimean affairs, Oleg Savelyev.
The EU also has blacklisted two women -- Olga Kovatidi, a member of the Russian Federation Council from the annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and Lyudmila Shvetsova, the deputy chairwoman of Russia's State Duma.
Moscow reacted by saying that the EU should "be ashamed," and that the sanctions will not help stabilize the volatile situation in Ukraine.
A Foreign Ministry statement from Moscow on April 29 also accused the EU of being "under Washington's thumb."
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on April 29 admitted the sanctions will negatively impact Russia's high-tech enterprises and industries.
"This is a revival of a system created in 1949 when Western countries essentially lowered an 'Iron Curtain,' cutting off supplies of high-tech goods to the Soviet Union and other countries," he said.
Ryabkov also said there was no reason for the West to fear that Moscow would try to take over southeastern Ukraine following its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
Unlike an expanded U.S. sanctions list that was issued on April 28 and includes several people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the EU's fresh sanctions mostly target lower-ranking individuals.
The EU list also includes pro-Russian separatist leaders in Crimea and in eastern Ukrainian cities.
Among them are German Prokopiv and Valeriy Bolotov, who both participated in the seizure of the building of the Luhansk regional office of Ukraine's Security Service.
Also named are Andriy Purgin and Denys Pushylin, described as the head and the spokesman of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic."
The new EU sanctions list also includes Sergei Gennadevich Tsyplakov, described as "one of the leaders of ideologically radical organization People's Militia of Donbas who took active part in the seizure of a number of state buildings in Donetsk region."
In a statement to coincide with release of the names of those sanctioned, EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was "alarmed by the worsening security situation in eastern Ukraine."
Ashton said those on the list were targeted because they are "threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."
Ambassadors from the 28 EU member states approved the new sanctions list on April 28 during a meeting in Brussels.
They plan to meet again on April 30 to discuss the addition of more individuals. They also will debate the possibility that the EU could introduce so-called "Phase 3" sanctions on Russia.
Those would target areas such as energy, the banking sector, forestry products, high-tech equipment, and the trade in luxury goods.
The European Commission recently presented member states with a study on how Phase 3 sanctions would impact individual EU countries.
Since then, the governments of EU member states have presented the commission with feedback and suggestions.
The list, released on April 29, brings to 48 the total number of people whose assets are frozen and who won't be allowed to travel within the EU.
The new sanctions list includes General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, and Lieutenant General Igor Sergun, who was identified as the head of the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU).
It also includes Igor Strelkov, named by the EU as a member of GRU who was involved in recent incidents in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who was responsible for the overseeing of the integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation, also was named, along with others involved in Russia's annexation of the peninsula -- such as the acting governor of Sevastopol, Sergei Menyailo, the Russian president's official representative in Crimea, Oleg Belaventsev, and the Russian government's minister for Crimean affairs, Oleg Savelyev.
The EU also has blacklisted two women -- Olga Kovatidi, a member of the Russian Federation Council from the annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and Lyudmila Shvetsova, the deputy chairwoman of Russia's State Duma.
Moscow reacted by saying that the EU should "be ashamed," and that the sanctions will not help stabilize the volatile situation in Ukraine.
A Foreign Ministry statement from Moscow on April 29 also accused the EU of being "under Washington's thumb."
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on April 29 admitted the sanctions will negatively impact Russia's high-tech enterprises and industries.
"This is a revival of a system created in 1949 when Western countries essentially lowered an 'Iron Curtain,' cutting off supplies of high-tech goods to the Soviet Union and other countries," he said.
Ryabkov also said there was no reason for the West to fear that Moscow would try to take over southeastern Ukraine following its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
Unlike an expanded U.S. sanctions list that was issued on April 28 and includes several people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the EU's fresh sanctions mostly target lower-ranking individuals.
The EU list also includes pro-Russian separatist leaders in Crimea and in eastern Ukrainian cities.
Among them are German Prokopiv and Valeriy Bolotov, who both participated in the seizure of the building of the Luhansk regional office of Ukraine's Security Service.
Also named are Andriy Purgin and Denys Pushylin, described as the head and the spokesman of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic."
The new EU sanctions list also includes Sergei Gennadevich Tsyplakov, described as "one of the leaders of ideologically radical organization People's Militia of Donbas who took active part in the seizure of a number of state buildings in Donetsk region."
In a statement to coincide with release of the names of those sanctioned, EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was "alarmed by the worsening security situation in eastern Ukraine."
Ashton said those on the list were targeted because they are "threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."
Ambassadors from the 28 EU member states approved the new sanctions list on April 28 during a meeting in Brussels.
They plan to meet again on April 30 to discuss the addition of more individuals. They also will debate the possibility that the EU could introduce so-called "Phase 3" sanctions on Russia.
Those would target areas such as energy, the banking sector, forestry products, high-tech equipment, and the trade in luxury goods.
The European Commission recently presented member states with a study on how Phase 3 sanctions would impact individual EU countries.
Since then, the governments of EU member states have presented the commission with feedback and suggestions.
