Russia freezes Ukrainian assets

Russia on Thursday imposed financial sanctions on hundreds of Ukrainian people and dozens of companies, as countermeasures for Kiev’s actions against Moscow. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed the document calling for the Russian assets of 322 Ukrainian citizens and 68 businesses to be frozen. On the list are Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister and a favourite for president in next year’s polls, and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. Moscow said the sanctions were linked to “unfriendly actions by Ukraine in relation to Russian citizens and legal entities”. Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a feud since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Moscow is accused of fuelling the rebel conflict in eastern Ukraine.