EU expands sanctions against persons responsible for holding Russian presidential elections in Crimea

The Council of the European Union has imposed sanctions against five people involved in holding an illegal Russian presidential election on the territory of the annexed Crimea, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has written on Facebook.

"I welcome the official decision by the Council of the EU to impose sanctions against five persons responsible for the illegal holding of the Russian presidential election in the temporarily occupied Crimea and Sevastopol", - the head of state said.

Poroshenko stressed that punishment for any illegal actions against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine was inevitable.

"My meetings in Aachen with the leaders of the EU, France and Germany clearly confirmed that the topic of de-occupation and restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea is one of the top priorities of the European agenda", - the president said.