Australia sanctions Russians over Kerch

Russia is facing more sanctions as the Australian authorities have announced financial sanctions and entry restrictions against seven Russians over the Kerch Strait incident.

The seven individuals include senior officials from the Russian Federal Security Service for Crimea and some commanding officers of patrolling forces, according to a statement by Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne on the ministry’s website.

On Nov 25, three Ukrainian naval ships entered the waterway leading from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. The coast guard of the FSB, the Russian security service, fired on the vessels off the coast of Crimea, brought them to the port of Kerch and arrested the crews. A criminal case was opened over the violation of Russia’s state border.

“Today I announce targeted financial sanctions and travel bans against seven Russian individuals for their role in the interception and seizure of Ukrainian naval vessels that were attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait. Australia is concerned by this escalation of tensions in the Sea of Azov in November 2018,” the statement said.

Earlier, the European Union blacklisted a total of eight Russian military servicemen and officers of the FSB for their roles in the incident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin responded on Monday that sanctions did not benefit anyone, and he called on the international community to abolish sanctions.

Putin said sanctions have became an incentive helping Russian agricultural producers to tap the domestic market, but he still called on the EU to withdraw sanctions.

“My answer will not make our Russian agricultural producers happy but I have to tell you that if European sanctions are lifted, then we will definitely have to abolish titfor-tat measures on our part, because there will be no original causes for their introduction,” Putin said during a meeting with a group of French senior delegation officials.

EU sanctions on Russia were introduced in 2014 in response to Russia’s involvement in the Crimea crisis, including various agricultural trade restrict, economic sanctions and individual sanctions.

Russia answered with counter-restrictions on a range of EU agricultural products, such as meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. The ban runs until the end of 2019, and has had an impact on EU agricultural exports to Russia, dropping from around 11.8 billion euros ($13.4 billion) in 2013 to around 6 billion euros in 2017, according to the website of the European Commission.

On Friday, the EU added eight more Russians to its sanctions list over the standoff between Russia and Ukraine in the Azov Sea. The Russian foreign ministry soon responded, saying the country “will not leave this unfriendly action by the EU unanswered”.

Putin said the task for Russia now is to expand its presence in the Asian market.