Iran Press/ Europe: Sweden's foreign ministry officials said that, unlike EU sanctions, Russia's sanctions are arbitrary, legally vague and politically motivated.
Asa Scott, director of the Swedish Defense Research Institute, is one of the people Russia has recently sanctioned in response to European Union sanctions.
Russia's foreign ministry said on Friday that it had blacklisted David Sassoli, the speaker of the European Parliament, and seven other EU members and representatives of the EU.
Following in the footsteps of US policy since 2014, the European Union has imposed a series of economic and financial sanctions against Russia, accusing Russia of interfering in the conflict of eastern Ukraine and aiding the opposition.
The secession of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine and its annexation to Russia in 2014, according to the results of the referendum, has increased the tension between Russia and Europe.
Clashes in eastern Ukraine began in April 2014 following a Western-led coup against the then government. 219
