Ukrainian parliament imposes sanctions against Russian president

Ukraine's Rada speaker Volodymyr Groysman has signed a decree recommending Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council to impose individual sanctions against several Russian citizens, including President Vladimir Putin, Tass reported Monday.

The parliament recommends to impose sanctions on 35 individuals who, according to Rada deputies, are linked to "illegal custody" of Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko.

Savchenko is accused of complicity in the killing of two Russian journalists, Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin, last summer and illegally crossing the Russian border.

The list of recommended sanctions includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration Vyacheslav Volodin, presidential adviser Vladislav Surkov, State Duma Chairman Sergey Naryshkin and Federal Security Service director Alexander Bortnikov

Rada's decree does not clarify what kind of individual sanctions may be introduced against Russian citizens.

The Ukrainian parliament also approved an address to international organization, inter-parliamentary assemblies and governments to impose similar sanctions on Russian citizens.