UPDATE 2: EU adds 3 Russians, 3 legal entities to blacklist over Siemens

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BRUSSELS/MOSCOW/BERLIN, Aug 4 (PRIME) -- The E.U. has added three Russians and three legal entities involved in a scandal with Siemens’s turbines shipment to Crimea, to its blacklist, the Council of Europe said in a statement on Friday.

“The E.U. has added three Russian nationals and three companies involved in the transfer of gas turbines to Crimea to the list of persons subject to restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence,” the authority said.

The list of the newly added comprises: two companies called Technopromexport – a joint stock company which acquired the turbines and the current owner, a limited liability company; Russian joint venture of Siemens Interautomatika; CEO of Technopromexport Sergei Topor-Gilka; Deputy Energy Minister Andrei Cherezov and head of a ministry’s department Yevgeny Grabchak.

The press service of the Russian Energy Ministry and Grabchak declined to comment on the matter.

Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy chairman of the committee for foreign relations of the Federation Council, the parliament’s upper house, said he does not rule out adoption of restrictions against Siemens on the Russian market.

Siemens spokesman Philipp Encz declined to comment on possible market restrictions. “We are unaware of this, which is why we cannot comment on the speculations.”

Igor Ananskikh, first deputy chairman of the energy committee of the State Duma, the parliament’s lower house, said that the sanctions will not harm the concerned Russian companies.

Siemens said in July that all the four turbines meant to be used on a Russian power plant on the Taman Peninsula were illegally shipped to Crimea, forcing the company to cancel its licensing agreements to sell power equipment to Russian firms and suspend the current agreements with state-run companies.

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