BRUSSELS -- The European Union has added seven names to its list of people facing sanctions for undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence.



The sanctions list, which now consists of 177 individuals and 44 entities, was established after Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014 and has grown over the following years as Moscow has continued to back separatists in eastern Ukraine.



The EU General Affairs Council on January 28 added the seven individuals to the list for their involvement in the local “elections” organized by Crimea’s Russian-imposed authorities in September 2019. They will have their assets frozen and be put under a visa ban.



The seven include Sergei Danilenko, Lidia Basova, and Yekaterina Pyrkova of Sevastopol’s municipal election committee, as well as Yuriy Gotsanyuk, the head of the de facto Crimean government. The three other targeted individuals are Mikhail Razvozhayev, Vladimir Nemtsev, and Yekaterina Altabayeva.



In March, the EU is expected to prolong its sanctions by another six months.