Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov were added to the sanctions lists of the Russian Federation. The corresponding information appeared on the Russian Official Internet Portal of Legal Information.
In addition to Kuleba and Danilov, sanctions were imposed against other citizens of Ukraine as well. In particular, Lyudmila Denisova, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada, Valery Patskan, Chairman of the Accounts Chamber, and Valentin Reznichenko, Chairman of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration.
In total, 73 persons were added to the sanctions list of the Russian Federation. The last time this list was expanded was last December. Now it consists of 922 people.
The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine protested against the expansion of the list of Ukrainian individuals against whom the Russian government imposes sanctions.
"This illegal step is a continuation of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in all its forms and manifestations. [...] We consider such aggressive actions of Russia as steps of despair from the failure of Russian diplomacy in the international arena, a provocation on the eve of the inauguration of the Crimean Platform summit," the press service of the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry noted that pressure from the Russian Federation will not stop Ukraine's consistent policy to counter Russian aggression.
"We will continue to make consistent efforts to end Russia's occupation of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders," the statement said.
"The Ukrainian side reserves the right to take appropriate response measures in accordance with the norms and principles of international law. These aggressive steps by the occupying state will not remain unanswered," the ministry said.