Top Ukrainian Separatists Hit With EU Sanctions

The European Union has added 11 so-called officials of the self-declared separatist republics in eastern Ukraine to its list of individuals subject to travel bans and asset freezes over the Ukraine crisis.

The EU agreed the sanctions earlier this week, but the names were made public on July 12.

The new names include Aleksandr Borodai, a 41-year-old political consultant from Moscow, who is the so-called prime minister of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic.

The other Donetsk separatists hit with sanctions on July 12 include the self-declared republic's security minister, Aleksandr Khodakovsky, a deputy prime minister, Aleksandr Kalyussky, and the minister responsible for pro-separatist propaganda, Aleksandr Khryakov.

Luhansk separatists were also included in the list. Those include Marat Bashirov, the so-called prime minister of their self-declared republic.

Also included are the vice prime minister, Vasyl Nikitin, the chairman of the so-called Supreme Council, Aleksey Karyakin, the internal affairs minister, Yurij Ivakin, and the defense minister, Igor Plotnitsky.

The list also includes Nikolay Kozitsyn, commander of Cossack forces, and Oleksiy Mozgovy, responsible for military training of the separatists fighting against Ukrainian government forces.

The EU has now issued sanctions against a total of 72 individuals and two entities for threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity.

The EU Official Journal said the sanctions, agreed by EU ambassadors earlier this week, go into on July 12.

Russia has denounced the EU sanctions.

Moscow's envoy to the EU in Brussels, Vladimir Chizhov, said the blacklisting of the separatist leaders would not help efforts to find a political solution to the crisis.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Interfax