Moscow Blacklists Ukrainian Officials, Businesspeople In Response To Kiev's Sanctions

Moscow Blacklists Ukrainian Officials, Businesspeople in Response to Kiev's Sanctions

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree envisioning retaliatory economic measures against Ukrainian individuals and legal entities in response to Kiev's unfriendly actions, the Russian government said in a statement on Thursday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2018) Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree envisioning retaliatory economic measures against Ukrainian individuals and legal entities in response to Kiev's unfriendly actions, the Russian government said in a statement on Thursday.

The retaliatory measures affect 322 individuals and 68 legal entities, including politicians, judges of the Ukrainian Constitutional Court, officials, lawmakers and businesspeople.

The measures provide for the freeze of non-cash funds, non-documentary securities and property in Russia and a ban on the withdrawal of capital outside Russia.

Russia decided to introduce such measures in response to Kiev's unfriendly actions against Russian citizens and legal entities. In particular, in May, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko activated the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to expand sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals, as well as extended the restrictive measures imposed in previous years.

Moscow reserves the right to cancel special economic measures against Ukraine, if Kiev removes restrictions on Russian citizens and companies, the government said.

The list of individuals targeted by Russian economic restrictions includes Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak and Deputy Defense Minister Pavlo Petrenko, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov, Security Service (SBU) head Vasyl Hrytsak, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, Chief of the General Staff Viktor Muzhenko, as well as a number of other military commanders.

Former Ukrainian Prime Ministers Yulia Tymoshenko and Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukrainian Ambassador to US Valeriy Chaly, Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy and Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev are also on the list.

The measures will also affect Ukrainian Presidential Spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko, Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Iryna Herashchenko, as well as former commander of the Donbas battalion Semen Semenchenko.

Radical Ukrainian lawmakers Dmytro Yarosh, who is the former leader of the Right Sector group (banned in Russia), and Oleh Lyashko, the Radical Party leader, are also included in the list.

The retaliatory measures also affect the chairman of the Constitutional Court Stanislav Shevchuk and a number of the court's judges, in particular, Oleksandr Tupytskyi, Serhiy Holovaty, and Viktor Horodovenko.

Besides, the sanctions will target the son of the Ukrainian president, Olexiy Poroshenko.

However, the president himself is not on the list.

The measures will also affect a number of legal entities, including Kiev-headquartered Bank Credit Dnipro. The bank is owned by Ukrainian businessman Victor Pinchuk, son-in-law of the former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma. The measures against individuals also target Pinchuk, but not Kuchma.

Other Ukrainian companies targeted by Russian measures are state-owned alcohol producer Ukrspirt, State food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine, large agricultural enterprises Zernoproduct MHP, Nibulon, Starinskaya poultry farm, Ukrainian Bacon, and Favorit Plus Meat Processing Factory.

The measures have also been introduced against chemical companies Rivne Azot, Kamianske-based Himdivizion and Dniproazot, as well as Cherkasy-based Azot. Fertilizer trader Trading House Agroimport LTD is also included in the list.

The list also includes several Ukrainian companies that are registered in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, including UK-registered EastOne Group Ltd and Toledo Mining Corporation plc, and Ferrexpo plc, registered in Switzerland's Baar.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the absence of the Ukrainian president among individuals targeted by Moscow's retaliatory measures against Kiev, saying Poroshenko's inclusion would have been excessive.

"A president is traditionally not included in sanctions lists, this would have been, so to say, an extreme step," Peskov told reporters.

Russia hopes that the political will for improving bilateral relations will emerge in Ukraine, Peskov said.

"Of course, we hope that sooner or later the political will to normalize relations with Russia will somehow take root, at least timid one, on Ukrainian soil. We do not see it now," the spokesman said.

Medvedev has also instructed the Trade and Industry Ministry and the Economic Development Ministry to prevent any negative impact of anti-Ukrainian sanctions on Russian companies.

"The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation should ensure the balance of commodity markets and the prevention of the negative impact of special economic measures ... on the activities of Russian entities," the document read.

The government also mandated the Russian Finance Ministry to amend the list of Ukrainian individuals and entities targeted by the sanctions.