Ukraine extends sanctions on Russian state banks

KIEV, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree to prolong the sanctions on Russian state banks operating in Ukraine for another 12 months, the presidential press service said Tuesday.

The restrictive measures, which first were introduced in March 2017, are targeting the Ukrainian subsidiaries of Russia's Sberbank, Prominvestbank, VTB Bank, and BM Bank, said a statement on the Ukrainian presidential website.

The sanctions are prohibiting the banks from moving capital earned in Ukraine abroad, the statement said.

Kiev has imposed the sanctions on five Russian banks in a protest against their alleged acceptance of documents issued by self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian unit of VS bank was excluded from the sanction list in December after it was purchased by the Kiev-based financial group TAS. Enditem