The European Union has prolonged restrictive measures targeting seven persons over the misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds.
The EU Council on Thursday, March 4, prolonged for one more year, until March 6, 2022, "the existing asset freezes directed against 7 individuals identified as responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds or for the abuse of office causing a loss to Ukrainian public funds," reads the report on the Council's website.
The restrictive measures against one more person were prolonged until September 6, 2021.
Read alsoUkraine slaps sanctions on ex-senior officers over support of Russian aggression in 2014Sanctions against two persons were not extended, the report notes, adding that the decision was taken based on the annual review of the measures.
The legal acts will be published in the Official Journal on March 5, 2021.
Background
The sanctions were initially introduced on March 6, 2014, against ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and his government officials for misappropriation of budget funds and human rights violations.
The restrictions have been extended on a yearly basis since then.
In 2020, the EU decided to lift sanctions off ex-PM Mykola Azarov and former energy and coal minister Eduard Stavytsky.
As per RFE/RL's own correspondent in Brussels, Rikard Jozwiak, this year's lifting would concern ex-first deputy prime minister Serhiy Arbuzov and ex-education minister Dmytro Tabachnyk.
