BRUSSELS, Belgium: EU nations Monday agreed to impose sanctions on 30 Russian officials over the death of leading Putin’s critic Alexei Navalny in February, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
“We agreed to sanctions on those responsible for the murder of Alexei Navalny,” the bloc said. The statement came after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader and Kremlin foe, died in an Arctic prison last month where he was being held in harsh conditions.
Officials have said the EU would follow the US and UK in imposing travel bans and asset freezes on prison officials responsible for Navalny’s treatment in the jail.
The names of those sanctioned by the EU are set to be released after the steps are formally taken in the days to come.
Navalny’s allies, however, have said the limited targeting of a small number of jail officials is purely symbolic and will have no impact on Russia.
The decision to sanction those allegedly responsible for Navalny’s death comes soon after Vladimir Putin claimed a new six-year presidential term in elections denounced by the West as “fake”.
“We can see these are fake elections, that there isn’t freedom of expression,” EU foreign policy chief said further.
However, the EU stopped short of heeding a call by Navalny’s widow to clearly reject Vladimir Putin as the legitimate leader of the country.
