The European Union (EU) on Thursday (October 15) imposed sanctions on six relatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin, freezing their assets and preventing them from traveling.
These sanctions were imposed in response to the poisoning of the opponent Alexei Navalny in August 2020.
After the Novichok poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March 2018 in England, it took nearly a year for Europeans to sanction Russian military intelligence agents.
This time, pushed by France and Germany, the European Union reacted very quickly.
In addition, the sanctions target members of the inner circle, including Andrei Yarine, head of the internal affairs directorate of the presidential administration, and his first deputy, Sergei Kirienko, the decision published in the Official Journal of the EU said.
"Harassment" and "repression"
Stressing that the opponent has been "the target of systematic acts of harassment and repression by state and judicial actors of the Russian Federation [and that the Novichok] is only accessible to state authorities of the Russian Federation Russia ", the Europeans believe that" it is reasonable to conclude that the poisoning of Alexey Navalny was only possible with the consent of the presidential administration ".
>> Read also on France24.com:
Route of a team of "killers" in the service of Russian military intelligence
Also concerned are the director of the Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, Putin's representative in Siberia Sergei Meniaïlo and two deputy defense ministers, Pavel Popov and Aleksei Krivoroutchko.
The State Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (GosNIIOKhT), which is responsible for the destruction of stockpiles of chemical weapons inherited from the Soviet Union, is also listed as legal persons.
At the same time, the United Kingdom announced sanctions against the director of the FSB, the Russian Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov.
"The UK and its partners agree that there was no plausible explanation for the poisoning of Mr Navalny other than Russian involvement and responsibility," British diplomacy said in a statement. .
For its part, Italy expects from Russia "a thorough investigation which clarifies as quickly as possible" the circumstances of the poisoning of Alexeï Navalny, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said in an interview published on Thursday. by the daily La Repubblica.
Moscow intends to retaliate
In Moscow, the Kremlin denounced "unfriendly" measures that will not go unanswered.
Russian presidency spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that there was no logic in the Europeans' decision.
"With this decision, the Council of the EU is damaging relations with our country," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, announcing that Moscow's response "will be in the interests of the Russia".
"We can only regret this decision which makes relations between the EU and Moscow dependent on a person considered in Europe as the leader of an opposition", underlined Dmitry Peskov, referring to Alexeï Navalny, bête noire of the Kremlin whose name the spokesperson never mentions.
Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny was hospitalized on August 20 in serious condition in Omsk, Siberia, then transferred two days later to Charité hospital in Berlin.
He left him on September 23 after 32 days of hospitalization, 24 of which were in a coma.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has confirmed that Alexey Navalny was indeed poisoned by a nerve agent from the Novichok group, a substance designed by Soviet specialists for military purposes.
For its part, Germany concluded that it was poisoned using an innervating agent from the family of this neurotoxic poison.
With AFP and Reuters
The summary of the week
France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 application
google-play-badge_FR