Anti-Russian sanctions kill German companies, German official says

Franz Wiese, a German lawmaker, criticized the European Union and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for running anti-Russia policies. According to the lawmaker, the policies of the European Union in relation to Russia destroy German businesses. Dozens of German companies have already gone bankrupt because of the anti-Russian sanctions, the official said. 

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"Approved by the European Union and conducted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the anti-Russian sanctions policy is destroying small and medium businesses in Brandenburg as well as in the rest of the country," said Wiese.

According to Wiese, Merkel's anti-Russia policy has so far resulted in the bankruptcy of 90 German companies, Pravda.Ru reports. 

Wiese's remarks came a day after neighboring Czech Republic's President Miloš Zeman criticized the Western sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, describing the policy as counterproductive and provocative. Zeman also called for the immediate abandonment of such bans.

Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia as a result of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. According to Western officials, Moscow is involved in the deadly crisis in neighboring Ukraine, which broke out when Kiev launched military operations against pro-Russians in eastern Ukraine last year. Russia denied all allegations, Pravda.Ru says. 

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In a tit-for-tat measure, Moscow imposed yearlong food bans on the United States, the EU, Australia, Canada and Norway in August last year.

The move is estimated to cost European agricultural industries millions of dollars in damage. Prior to the food ban, Russia received a quarter of its produce from the EU nations. 

On April 27, Russian officials said the country would tighten an existing ban on imports of fruits and vegetables from Bulgaria. Supposedly, Bulgaria try to send European products into Russia, using false documents.

Read article on the Russian page of Pravda.Ru