EU approves decision to extend individual sanctions against Russia — source

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Permanent representatives of 28 EU countries approved a decision to extend individual sanctions against Russia for another 6 months on Wednesday, a source in the European Council told TASS.

"At the scheduled Coreper meeting today the ambassadors approved extending individual restrictive measures for the next six months," the source said, according to TASS.

The source also said that the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Zakharchenko, who was killed on August 31, was excluded from the blacklist. Thus, EU sanctions apply to 154 individuals and 44 organizations.

According to the diplomat, today's decision will formally be approved by the European Council in the coming days, then it will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will come into force.

Currently, several EU sanctions packages are in force against Russia: economic, individual restrictive measures and sanctions on Crimea.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan