海角大神

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The European Union today announced sanctions on an additional 15 individuals for their roles in the Ukraine crisis. The move comes on the heels of additional US sanctions and reflects deepening Western concerns over instability in eastern Ukraine. However, critics say the latest sanctions fail to target Russia's finance and energy industries 鈥� or its head of state, President Vladimir Putin.

The newest EU sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes for a number of high-ranking Russian political and military officials and pro-Russian militants in Ukraine. Tuesday鈥檚 additions bring the total number of people , reports The Associated Press.

鈥淚 am alarmed by the worsening security situation in eastern Ukraine,鈥� EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said today. 鈥淭he downward spiral of violence and intimidation undermines the normal functioning of the legitimate state institutions.鈥�

Ms. Ashton said the EU could consider 鈥減ossible additional individual measures,鈥� but that it would depend on how the situation in Ukraine developed.聽

Russia has an estimated 40,000 troops along its border with Ukraine. Pro-Russian activists occupy buildings in over a dozen towns in eastern Ukraine and have detained seven聽 observers in Slovyansk, the BBC reports. On Monday, the mayor of Ukraine鈥檚 second-largest city attempt by an unknown gunman, reports The New York Times.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in an hour-long telephone conversation this week 鈥渢hat Moscow has no plans to invade Ukraine,鈥� according to the US Department of Defense.聽

Some US officials believe Russia of significant economic pain, with capital fleeing, investment falling and its debt downgraded to the brink of junk bonds,鈥� according to The Washington Post.

The goal is to gradually increase pressure until 鈥淩ussia sees the dead end that it鈥檚 going down in Ukraine,鈥� a senior administration official said.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 expect there would be an immediate change in Russian policy[.]鈥� 鈥� 鈥淲hat we need to do is to steadily show the Russians that there are going to be much more severe economic pain, much more severe political isolation and, frankly, that Russia stands far more to lose, continuing these actions over time,鈥� than if it stands down in Ukraine.

But many observers say Western sanctions lack bite and should focus on industry more than individuals. Many EU nations are highly dependent on Moscow for oil and gas supplies, which makes the bloc hesitant to target directly the likes of state-run energy company, Gazprom.聽

海角大神 reports that despite criticism at home, Obama sees聽sanctions "as聽ineffective and damaging to US economic interests if not imposed in coordination with the European Union. The EU is a much bigger player in the Russian economy than the US, but so far European leaders have balked at going beyond sanctions on Russian individuals."

Steve LeVine from Quartz agrees that targeting industry such as Russia鈥檚 state-run Gazprom the situation in Ukraine, but for reasons that go beyond economic pain. Mr. LeVine writes that President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 鈥減rimary pressure point鈥� is his mission to achieve 鈥渉istorical glory.鈥�

Putin鈥檚 aim in Ukraine appears to be聽, which聽is wrapped up in notions of a 聽that encompasses neighboring lands, particularly where ethnic Russians live鈥�..

[Targeting Gazprom] would threaten聽Putin鈥檚 actual pressure point: the oil that is . Putin is able to behave ruthlessly 鈥� to appear聽strong, regal, and ultra-patriotic to his people 鈥� only because of Russia鈥檚 oil and gas exports, which fund聽half the state budget. To the degree you can threaten energy, you are聽getting somewhere.