MOSCOW, July 30 (RIA Novosti) – The European Commission published Wednesday the names of eight individuals and three additional Russian entities targeted by sanctions over their alleged role in the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis.
Among those individuals targeted by the EU sanctions are Aleksei Gromov, first deputy chief of staff of the Russian presidential administration, and Arkady Rotenberg, Vladimir Putin’s former judo sparring partner.
Two representatives of the self-proclaimed people’s republics in eastern Ukraine and Interior Minister of Crimea Sergei Abisov are also named on the black list.
The new addition, published in the EU Official Journal, includes Russian National Commercial Bank, Dobrolet airline and Almaz-Antey, a Russian manufacturer of air defense weaponry.
The EU says Russian National Commercial Bank (RNCB) became fully owned by the Crimean Republic after its reunification with Russia in March. “It has become the dominant player in the market, while it had no presence in Crimea before.”
The bank supported “materially and financially” Russia’s effort to integrate Crimea into the country “thus undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity,” the journal said.
The sanctions also target Dobrolet, a Russian low-cost airline based at Sheremetyevo International Airport and a subsidiary of state-owned Aeroflot airline. In June, Dobrolet launched its first commercial flights from Moscow to Simferopol.
The EU Council’s Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) agreed on the measure on Tuesday. The new addition brings the number of persons and entities under EU restrictions to 95 persons and 23 entities.
