In a first, EU bans Russian coal imports, targets Putin’s daughters as fresh sanctions pass

The European Union (EU) on Friday approved the fifth wave of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on coal imports and closed its port to Russian ships. This is the first time the block targets the Russian energy sector, where they are very dependent. Sanctions will also ban all transactions with four Russian banks, including VTB – the second largest lender in this country. Following in the US footsteps, the block has extended steps against two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin – Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova – in the list of updated individuals facing travel prohibitions and freeze assets.

Russian-Ukrainian war update here

According to a report by the Associated Press, the EU has begun working to put the embargo on the next Russian oil imports, so that further crippling the country’s trade.The EU was under pressure from the US and Ukraine to adopt more sanctions on Putin after the alleged execution of at least 20 civilians in the city of Bucha last week.

The US imposed a new sanction against Russia on Wednesday, targeting Putin’s daughter and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s wife and daughter, among the other elites. These steps also include prohibiting Americans from investing in Russia, including through merges or venture capital.Besides Britain and EU, England and Japan have imposed new sanctions against Russia. While the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishido announced forbidding Russian coal imports, England adopted steps against Putin’s daughter – similar to the US and EU.

Previously today the head of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen brought to Twitter to say that he was on his way to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, along with a diplomatic head on Josep Bornrell Fontelles block. Duo will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelskyy. Development came shortly after Russian rocket strikes at the train station in East Ukraine today which caused the death of more than 30 people and injured 100 others. The state railway company told Reuters that two Russian rocket had hit the station in Kramatorsk City which was used to evacuate civilians from the area reached by Russian forces.

In accordance with the latest updates, the Russian Defense Ministry has expelled the allegations by Kyiv and called them “really not true”.