KIEV, July 23 (RAPSI) – Kiev will introduce sanctions against Russian nationals who directly or indirectly support the separatists in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Wednesday.

“We have created a committee on sanctions against the Russian Federation. It includes representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the economic and financial ministries, as well as security and law enforcement agencies,” Yatsenyuk said. “Ukraine will introduce sanctions against all individuals holding a Russian passport who directly or indirectly support terrorists and separatists in Ukraine.”

Russia argues that it is not involved in the tragic developments in southeast Ukraine, and that it has not sent any agents or troops there. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that there is no reason to blame Russia for the complications in south and southeast Ukraine, and Russia’s Defense Ministry has said that it does not supply military hardware, munitions or any other military assistance to the separatists.

The Kiev government launched a military operation in mid-April to suppress the anti-Maidan movement in eastern Ukraine, which did not recognize the legitimacy of the February coup in Kiev. Moscow has urged Kiev to stop the “punitive military operations,” which have claimed many lives on both sides, including innocent civilians.