The Council of the European Union on Monday made a decision to prolong until March 15, 2016 the sanctions list envisaging individual restrictions expiring on September 15 against Russians and representatives of the structures of eastern Ukraine, and also some legal entities.

The Council of the European Union said in its decision published in Brussels that these measures apply to persons and organizations that the EU considers to be involved in actions against Ukraine's sovereignty, its territorial integrity, unity and independence.

The document refers to 149 private individuals and 37 legal entities to which the extension of the restrictive measures until March 15, 2016 applies. Previously, there were 150 private individuals and 37 legal entities on the 'blacklist'. The communique states that the nature of the sanctions - the freezing of assets and a ban on EU visas - remains as it was. Additionally, the EU sees no grounds for reducing the list of persons and organizations to which the sanctions apply. One person who has died since the adoption of the list has been removed from it.

The document will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union on September 15 and will take effect on the same day.

The Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) on September 2 approved the prolongation of the individual sanctions list by six months.