BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 19, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - EU countries on Monday agreed
to impose sanctions on 30 Russian officials over the death of leading Kremlin
foe Alexei Navalny last month, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell
said.

"We agreed to sanctions on those responsible for the murder of Alexei
Navalny," Borrell said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, died in an Arctic prison
in February where he was being held in harsh conditions.

Officials have said the European Union would follow the United States and
Britain in imposing travel bans and asset freezes on prison officials
responsible for Navalny's treatment.

The names of those sanctioned by the EU are set to released after the
measures are formally adopted in the coming days.

Navalny's allies have said the limited targeting of a small number of prison
officials is purely symbolic and will have no impact on the Kremlin.

The agreement to sanction those responsible for Navalny's death comes after
Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed a new six-year term in elections
denounced by the West as unfair.

"We can see these are fake elections, that there isn't freedom of
expression," Borrell said.

But the EU stopped short of heeding a call by Navalny's widow to explicitly
reject Putin as the legitimate leader of Russia.