EU imposes sanctions on eastern Ukraine election organizers

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union has imposed sanctions on the organizers of elections in eastern Ukraine this month, the bloc said on Saturday, Nov 29, hitting the separatists and their organizations with asset freezes and travel bans, Reuters reports.

EU governments decided to add 13 Ukrainians and five of their political organizations to a sanctions list that already covers 119 people and 23 entities.

Elections in eastern Ukraine were held on Nov 2, with the organizers arguing that the vote was the next step after local referendums in May calling for independence from Ukraine.

The United States and European Union have denounced the vote as illegitimate, but Russia has said it would recognize the result.

In its official journal, the European Union said Sergey Kozyakov, who was election commission chief in the Luhansk region, was "responsible for organizing the so-called elections ... in the so-called Luhansk People's Republic".

"He has actively supported actions and policies which undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine," the bloc said.

Others on the sanctions list are election organizers and ministers in Luhansk and in the eastern region of Donetsk. They are accused of the same wrongdoing as Kozyakov.

EU governments are also discussing proposals for an "enhanced ban" on investments in Crimea.