EU imposes sanctions on six Russian officials over Alexei Navalny poisoning

The measure is a deliberate, unfriendly step, says Kremlin.

Alexei Navalny | Photo Credit: AP

The move came a day after Russia’s Foreign Minister warned that Moscow might respond with similar measures

The European Union on Thursday imposed sanctions on six Russian officials and one organisation over the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent.

The move came a day after Russia’s Foreign Minister warned that Moscow might respond with similar measures.

The decision was agreed upon among the 27 EU envoys to Brussels.

The adopted restrictive measures consist of a travel ban to the EU and an asset freeze for individuals, and an asset freeze for the entity,” the EU said in a statement.

The list includes two high level officials in the Presidential Executive Office, a director of the federal security service and two deputy ministers in the Russian defense ministry. The EU is also targeting the State Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology.

EU Foreign Ministers agreed on Monday to impose the sanctions, following a push by France and Germany to freeze the assets of those suspected of involvement and ban them from traveling in Europe under sanctions to combat the use and spread of chemical weapons.

Mr. Navalny, an anti-corruption investigator and major political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill on Aug. 20 during a domestic flight in Russia. He was flown to Germany for treatment two days later and is still recovering there.

Last week, tests conducted at labs designated by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed that Navalny was poisoned by a Novichok nerve agent.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview on Wednesday that the Germans are not planning to provide any facts, despite all international and legal obligations. We respond in kind. This is diplomatic practice. On Tuesday, Mr. Lavrov suggested that Moscow might even sever ties.

We probably simply have to temporarily stop talking to those people in the West who are responsible for foreign policy and don’t understand the need for mutually respectful dialogue, he said.

Mr. Lavrov specifically pointed at European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recent statements ruling out a partnership with Russia, saying that scenario will play out if that’s what the EU wants.

Russia wants to understand whether it’s possible to do any business with the EU in the current conditions, Mr. Lavrov said at a foreign policy conference attended by experts in Moscow.

In a phone call Tuesday with Mr. Lavrov, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisted that the EU wishes to maintain open channels of communication with Russia and to enhance cooperation on issues of mutual interest, according to a statement from Borrell’s office.

Mr. Borrell also underlined that Moscow must do its utmost to investigate this crime thoroughly in full transparency and to fully cooperate with the OPCW, and that the EU will continue to defend its interests and values, including respect for international law and fundamental rights.

About Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member states, has its seat in The Hague, Netherlands, and oversees the global endeavour for the permanent and verifiable elimination of chemical weapons.

India is also a member of OPCW. India signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) treaty of OPCW at Paris on 14th day of January 1993. India, pursuant to provisions of the Convention enacted the Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000. India was the First State Party to secure the distinction of chemical weapon free state Party by destructing all its stockpile of its chemical weapons amongst all State Parties of the Convention.

The organisation promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction. Verification consists both of evaluation of declarations by member states and onsite inspections.

The organisation was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize "for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons". Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjørn Jagland said, "The conventions and the work of the OPCW have defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law".

Source