The European Union (EU) has extended sanctions by a further six months against dozens of Russian citizens and companies deemed to have a role in threatening the stability and independence of Ukraine. <br/><br/>The EU today said, the restrictive measures apply to nearly 150 individuals and 38 entities. It said the sanctions are in response to actions of these citizens and companies undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.<br/>'<br/>The European Union first imposed the sanctions after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and supported pro-Russia separatists fighting Ukrainian forces in Ukraine's east. Over ten thousand people were killed in the violence.<br/><br/>