EU Decision to Extend Crimea Sanctions Comes Into Force

The European Union’s decision to renew its ban on economic activity with Crimea came into being on Saturday, a day after members of the EU Council agreed to continue restrictive measures against Russia.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A note to this effect was published in the Official Journal of the European Union, the bloc’s main source of legal content.

The European Union and some of its allies imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia and its Black Sea territory of Crimea over the region’s reunification with Russia. In return, Moscow banned imports of some foods originating in the countries that have targeted it with sanctions. 

Crimea seceded from Ukraine to rejoin Russia in March 2014 following a referendum in which over 96 percent of voters supported the move. The West labeled the vote an illegal "annexation." Moscow has stated that the referendum fully complied with international law.