EU Approves Prolonging Anti-Russia Sanctions for Six Months

"The deputies at the committee meeting approved the extension of sanctions for the next six months," the source said, RIA Novosti reported.

Individual sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian citizens, who the European Union has accused of undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, were introduced on March 2014 and have since been regularly extended for six months.

Currently, the list includes 154 people and 44 organizations.

Relations between Russia and the EU deteriorated following a coup d'état in Kiev in February 2014. After the people of the Crimean Peninsula held a referendum and voted for rejoining with Russia, Western states accused Moscow of violating international law and imposed sanctions against it.

Russia has refuted all the accusations and taken retaliatory economic restrictions.

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