Decision to extend anti-Russian sanctions published in Official Journal of EU

BRUSSELS. March 14 (Interfax) - The decision of the Council of the European Union extending sanctions against a number of Russian individuals and legal entities over the situation in Ukraine until September 15, 2023 was published in the Official Journal of the EU on Tuesday.

"In view of the continuing actions undermining or threatening of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, Decision 2014/145/CFSP [on establishing the sanctions list] should be renewed for a further six months," the document said.

"This decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union," it said.

The names of Kherson region deputy governor Kirill Stremousov, State Duma deputy Nikolai Petrunin and Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper editor-in-chief Nikolai Sungorkin, all of whom have passed away, were removed from this list.

These sanctions linked to the situation in Ukraine were first introduced on March 17, 2014. After February 24, 2022, the EU significantly expanded sanctions against Russia.