EU sanctions 7 in Russia for Navalny poisoning

The European Union (EU) will sanction six individuals and one organisation from Russia over the poisoning of leading dissident Alexei Navalny, EU diplomats said on Wednesday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels, Belgium, as the bloc resolved to slam new sanctions that was taken by the its foreign ministers on Monday.

The asset freezes and travel bans are to be finalised by a written procedure and could be implemented within a few days.

Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin and prominent anti-corruption campaigner, fell ill on a domestic flight in Siberia on Aug. 20 and was transported to Germany for treatment in a comatose state two days later.

Last week, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed that the Soviet-developed nerve agent Novichok – a banned warfare agent – was used in the attack.