OREANDA-NEWS Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the introduction of new "special economic measures" against Ukraine. In accordance with the document, sanctions are imposed "in connection with the unfriendly actions of Ukraine" against Russians and Russian companies and in order to protect national interests.

By President’s decree, Putin instructed the government to determine the lists of individuals and legal entities in respect of which sanctions are imposed, as well as to decide what kind of restrictions against these persons should be introduced and "ensure, in accordance with its competence, the implementation of other measures."

The decree entered into force upon signature, with all bodies of state power and local self-government and Russian citizens and companies prescribed in their activities proceed from the fact that in respect of yet unnamed unnamed persons shall be subject to sanctions.

The decree emphasizes that it was adopted in accordance with the law No. 127-FZ "Оn measures of influence (counteraction) on unfriendly actions of the United States of America and other foreign States". According to this law, in order to protect the sovereignty and interests of Russia, as well as the rights and freedoms of its citizens, the authorities of the country have the right to respond to "unfriendly actions" with their countermeasures.

​Among these measures, the law includes the termination or suspension of cooperation, the introduction of restrictions or prohibitions on the importation into Russia of certain goods produced in the country against which sanctions are imposed, as well as the export to that country of goods of Russian production (the list of goods in both cases is determined by the government, while it cannot be limited to the import into Russia of vital goods, analogues of which are not produced in the country), and so on.

In mid-July, Russian President Vladimir Putin by his decree extended until the end of 2019 the embargo on the import of a number of food products from Ukraine. At the end of June, Putin signed a decree to extend until January 1, 2019 the ban on the transit of Ukrainian goods through the territory of Russia to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan otherwise than through the territory of Belarus and subject to a number of restrictions.​