Russian chiefs targeted

Brussels: Russia’s armed forces chief of staff and its military intelligence chief were among 15 people listed Tuesday as targeted by the European Union’s latest sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

General Valery Gerasimov, army chief and the country’s deputy defence minister, was named in the EU’s official journal along with Lieutenant-General Igor Sergun, director of Russia’s GRU, or main intelligence directorate.

He was targeted “for the activity of GRU officers in eastern Ukraine” while Gerasimov was listed as “responsible for the massive deployment of Russian troops” along the Ukraine border and “lack of de-escalation of the situation”. Another GRU officer, Igor Strelkov, was placed on the list for Slavyansk incidents.