The European Union placed further Russians and Ukrainians under sanctions on Monday, accusing them of "undermining or threatening" Ukraine's independence.
Less than two days into a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, deadly violence erupted once again between the military and pro-Russian separatists, casting further doubt about whether the peace plan will hold, CNBC reported. The new list places "restrictive measures" on 19 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and nine organizations over their alleged role in the destabilization of Ukraine, including Russia's First Deputy Minister of Defense, Arkady Bakhin.
Also on the list was Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Anatoly Antonov and Andrei Kartapolov, the deputy chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces. The sanctions are due to come into effect immediately.
The separatists accused Ukrainian forces of shelling Donetsk airport, while Ukrainian defense spokesman Andriy Lysenko said five Ukrainian security forces were killed and 25 were wounded in fighting with the separatists.
The Ukrainian army still has plans to pull heavy weapons out of the area, but it won't happen until the situation is quiet, Lysenko told reporters Monday. "We emphasize that our military will only fire in response."
Russia is accused of fomenting the revolt in eastern Ukraine and giving the separatists reinforcements and heavy weapons. Russia denies doing so. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday the new EU-backed sanctions against Russia will be met with an appropriate response.
"One thing is clear: such decisions, which will get an appropriate reaction, contradict common sense and go against finding a solution to Ukraine's domestic conflict," the ministry said.
The ministry called the introduction of sanctions illogical and incoherent, saying that Brussels was accommodating the Kiev "party of war."
