Russia feels sorry about failed strategic partner, EU

The European Union, as promised, exposed the details of new sanctions against Russia. On Thursday, Ambassadors of 28 EU countries decided to introduce additional sanctions against Russia from September 12.

The new EU sanctions list includes oil companies Rosneft, Transneft, Gazprom Neft, the official journal of the EU said. The European Union also imposed a ban on the organization of debt financing for three largest defense concerns of Russia - Uralvagonzavod, Oboronprom and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).

Since July 31, the list of banks, for which restrictions were imposed on lending and investment services, remained unchanged. The list includes Sberbank, VTB, Gazprombank, VEB and Rosselhozbank. The imposed sanctions stipulate a ban for the above-mentioned companies to place bonds with a maturity of more than 30 days. EU residents were also prohibited from crediting the sanctioned organizations.

The updated EU black list includes 24 people, including Russian Technologies CEO Sergei Chemezov, Prime Minister of self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the State Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky, as well as vice-speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament, Vladimir Vasiliev, Ivan Melnikov, Igor Lebedev and Nikolai Levichev.

In addition to Zaharchenko, the list of officials representing the breakaway Ukrainian republics includes: Donetsk Republic Defense Minister Vladimir Kononov, leader of the People's Militia of Donbass Miroslav Rudenko, Luhansk Republic Prime Minister Gennady Tsypkalov, Minister of State Security of the Donetsk Republic Andrey Pinchuk, Donetsk Republic Interior Minister Oleg Bereza,  official spokesman for the Donetsk Republic in Russia Andrei Rodkin and Foreign Minister of the Donetsk Republic, Alexander Karaman.

The sanctions list of officials of the Russian Federation also affected permanent representative of the Crimea under the Russian President Georgy Muradov, Vice-Premier of the Crimean Republic Mikhail Sheremet, deputy chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Yuri Vorobyov, deputy of the State Duma, Supreme Ataman of the Union of Cossack troops of Russia and abroad Victor Vodolatsky, member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and Secretary for International Economic Relations Leonid Kalashnikov, State Duma deputies Vladimir Nikitin, Oleg Lebedev, Svetlana Zhurova and Alexander Babakov.

The black list also includes the commander of the 76th Airborne Division (Pskov Division), Major-General Alexei Naumets. Earlier, mass media said that the fighters of the division took part in combat actions in Ukraine on the side of the militia forces.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia sharply criticized the European Union for the new package of sanctions against Russia. "The course of certain forces in the European Union to further aggravate the already strained relations with the Russian Federation becomes obvious," the message from the ministry posted on the official website of the department said.

"Now, when there is a fragile peace process going in Ukraine, and the sides began exchanging prisoners, when, as it appeared, all forces should be redirected from  presenting mutual accusations and sanctions to finding solutions to the Ukrainian domestic conflict, such steps appear particularly inappropriate and short-sighted," the message from the ministry also said.

"The isolation of this step of the EU from reality is self-evident," Russian diplomats believe. According to Russian officials, "the moves to introduce new restrictive measures and at the same time to entrust the European Commission and the foreign political service of the EU with submitting proposals to alter, suspend or lift the sanctions in whole or in part mean that our failed strategic partner is not just running by inertia, but its actions are illogical and contain no common sense."

Representatives of the Foreign Ministry of Russia assured that the new anti-Russian sanctions,"would not remain unanswered."

Commenting on the new sanctions list, Olympic champion and State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova said in an interview with the Russian News Service that she was surprised to see her name on the list of those barred from entering the countries of the European Union.

"I thought I was leaving the political arena. It turns out that this is not so. For them, as it appears, I represent danger," said the deputy. In her opinion, with the sanctions, the EU is trying to provoke discontent among Russians. According to Zhurova, this is being done to push people towards a rebellion to change power in Russia. That is the reason why the West picks "key people" to apply sanctions against them.

In an interview to Interfax Zhurova said: "It appears that Western politicians highly appreciated my influence on Europe. Maybe some of them disliked the fact that I carry a positive image of Russia. Those, who want to paint a negative image of our country, don't like me for sure. I probably have not fit into the scenario, which the West is now trying to write for Russia," the Olympic champion said.

Another person from the list, first deputy chairman of the Duma Committee on International Affairs, Leonid Kalashnikov, told ITAR-TASS that the European Union, imposing sanctions against a number of deputies of the State Duma, was trying to silence them. "Introducing such sanctions, they just shut mouths," said the MP. "They did say earlier - "do not touch Pussy Riot, these or those dissidents" - and now they shut the mouths of the politicians who are not even related to decision-making positions," he added.

Kalashnikov also said that the EU imposes sanctions specifically against those politicians who are actively trying to bring out the truth about what is happening in Ukraine, "who speak the truth about it in the eyes of European politicians."

Pravda.Ru