BRUSSELS, March 16 (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday that the European Union would impose sanctions on nine people accused of war crimes related to the Bucha massacre
EU sanctions nine people over Bucha massacre, four for information manipulation
EU Imposes Sanctions Related to Bucha Massacre and Information Manipulation
BRUSSELS, March 16 (Reuters) - The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on nine individuals it said played a role in the 2022 Bucha massacre and four individuals it said were involved with Russia’s foreign information manipulation and interference.
Background on the Bucha Massacre
Kyiv has said more than 1,400 people were killed in Bucha, a suburb near the Ukrainian capital, during a 33-day occupation by Russian forces at the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Details of the Sanctioned Individuals
Military Figures Sanctioned
The Council of the EU said in a statement that the individuals sanctioned include Colonel General Aleksandr Chayko, "the most senior Russian military officer on the ground in Ukraine at the outset of the full-scale invasion" who was "lead commander in Ukraine when Russian troops entered Bucha".
Sanctions on Alleged Kremlin Propagandists
Key Individuals and Their Roles
The EU also imposed sanctions on several alleged Kremlin propagandists, including the Franco-Russian Adrien Bocquet, whom French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described earlier on Monday as "a key recruiter of foreign fighters in Ukraine, responsible for glorifying war crimes, and also responsible for disinformation campaigns in Europe and Africa."
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Lili Bayer; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Ros Russell)
