The European Union has imposed sanctions on individuals it accused of being responsible for excluding Russia’s anti-war Yabloko party from the country’s parliamentary election.
The EU on Monday added 10 people to its list of individuals and organisations subject to asset freezes and travel bans over their alleged support for the Kremlin.
Those sanctioned include several judges, among them three judges of the Supreme Court in Moscow, as well as an official of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The EU’s 27 member states had strongly criticised Russia’s parliamentary election, which ended with a clear victory for the Kremlin-backed United Russia party.
The bloc said the Russian authorities had intensified what it described as “systematic and institutionalised repression” both within the country and beyond its borders to prevent democratic opposition groups from challenging the status quo.
The EU also imposed additional sanctions on individuals and entities it said were responsible for Russia’s efforts to deport and forcibly adopt Ukrainian children.
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According to the bloc, the latest measures target 10 individuals and 17 entities and organisations.
Those affected include Moscow’s tourism authority and two Russian companies operating in the children’s recreation, tourism and entertainment sectors.
The EU alleged that the entities were involved in orgnising activities aimed at the indoctrination and forced integration of Ukrainian minors into Russian identity, education and social structures.
