The European Union announced new sanctions against Russia on Wednesday targeting hundreds of Russian lawmakers, dozens of "high profile individuals," and financial restrictions.
The new sanctions zero in on 351 Russian lawmakers after the legislature voted to approve recognition of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent, the EU said in a statement.
The sanctions also target 27 "high profile individuals and entities" who helped to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, the EU said.
The restrictive measures include freezing assets and banning any of the sanctioned elites from entering or traveling through EU territory.
Wednesday's sanctions came in response to Russia's recognition of expansive borders contested by Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, as well as deployment of troops to the area.
"Such decisions are illegal and unacceptable," said Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. "They violate international law, Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, Russia's own international commitments and further escalate the crisis,"
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