The European Council has announced sanctions against eight individuals for "enforcing Russian law" in occupied Crimea.
The persons added to the EU sanctions list include law enforcement officials - judges, prosecutors and security officers - responsible for enforcing Russian law in the illegally-annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, the Council reported on Monday.
"Those individuals have taken biased decisions in politically-motivated cases, and prosecuted or oppressed opponents of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol," the report reads.
The additions bring the total number of individuals hit with punishments over Russia's occupation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula to 185, along with 48 companies or other legal entities.
Those designated persons are subject to an asset freeze – including a prohibition on making funds available to them - and a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through the EU.
The statement said that the relevant legal acts, including the names of the persons concerned, will be published in the Official Journal.
"The European Union does not recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, and continues to condemn the Russian violation of international law. Moreover, the EU remains unwavering in its support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine," the Council added.
As reported, the EU-Ukraine summit has kicked off in Kyiv on Tuesday, October 12.
Restrictive measures regarding actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine were first introduced by EU on 17 March 2014.
Other EU measures implemented in response to the crisis in Ukraine include economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy, currently in place until 31 January 2022 and restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, limited to the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol and currently in place until 23 June 2022.
