AKIPRESS.COM - Washington has added seven high-ranking officials from the self-proclaimed Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk to its list of individuals subjected to asset freezes and travel bans, the US Treasury Department said on its website Friday.

The individuals included in the sanctions list are Donetsk People’s Republic military commander Igor Girkin, Vice Premier Andrey Purgin and Supreme Council chairman Denis Pushilin; former People’s Mayor of Slaviansk Vyacheslav Ponomaryov and Luhansk People’s Republic chief Valery Bolotov, reports RIA Novosti.

In addition, the US also imposed sanctions against Valery Kaurov, the leader of the Union of Orthodox Citizens of Ukraine, and the acting Sevastopol governor Sergei Menyailo.

Earlier, the US imposed sanctions against several Russian officials following its reunification with Crimea, a former region of Ukraine that held a referendum in March in which 96 percent voted for integration with Russia.

The Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics declared themselves independent states following the May 11 referendum. The West refused to recognize the legitimacy of these decisions and backed Kiev government which launched a special operation against the independence supporters.