The European Union has imposed asset freezes on six Russian firms for their involvement in the construction of a new road-and-rail bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, which the bloc says is illegal. The EU has now frozen the assets of a total of 44 entities from Russia and Ukraine since Moscow's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014 and its support for separatists in a conflict that has killed more than 10,300 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014. The Council of the European Union on Tuesday published a statement informing it had added six entities involved in the construction of the Kerch Bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula with Russia to its sanctions list of persons and entities threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine. The European Union has extended sanctions against six Russian companies in connection with their work in Crimea and the construction of a bridge to the peninsula.According to the Official Journal of the EU, the sanctions will target construction engineering company Institute Giprostroymost, Russia's largest heavy-construction company Mostotrest, engineering and construction corporation VAD ZAO, infrastructure construction firm S.G.M.
The European Union imposes sanctions on six Russian companies involved in the construction of the bridge connecting mainland Russia to the annexed Crimea peninsula.