BRUSSELS — The European Union targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle for the first time Wednesday for the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine, subjecting three of his long-time associates to EU-wide asset freezes and travel bans.
Eight people were added to the EU’s sanctions list for allegedly undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty or profiting from Moscow’s takeover of Crimea, the EU’s Official Journal showed. Three companies were blacklisted. Among the individuals was:
• Arkady Rotenberg, Putin’s former judo partner and a major shareholder of the civil engineering company Giprotransmost.
• Yuri Kovalchuk, a long-time Putin acquaintance identified by the EU as co-founder of the Ozero Dacha, a cooperative society bringing together influential individuals around Putin.
• Nikolai Shamalov, another Ozero Dacha co-founder and the second largest shareholder in Bank Rossiya.
