The Council of the European Union announced on Friday that it was extending the restrictive measures targeting those "responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine" for another six months, i.e. until September 15, 2025.

"The existing restrictive measures provide for travel restrictions for natural persons, the freezing of assets, and a ban on making funds or other economic resources available to the listed individuals and entities," the Council said in a communique published on Friday.

The sanctions will remain in place with regard to nearly 2,400 individuals and entities, it said.

While reviewing the sanctions, the Council decided not to extend them with regard to four individuals and remove three other persons who have died from the sanction lists.

"The European Union remains ready to step up pressure on Russia, including by adopting further sanctions," it said.

The Financial Times reported earlier on Friday citing officials briefed on the matter that, in reviewing the extension of individual sanctions against some 2,000 Russians, the Council of the EU decided to lift sanctions on Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, businessmen Vyacheslav Kantor and Vladimir Rashevsky, and Gulbahor Ismailova, who is businessman Alisher Usmanov's sister.