The European Union on Thursday froze the assets of ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, those of former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and 16 other senior Ukrainian officials.
They were suspected of misusing state funds and violating human rights.
The EU said that “all funds and economic resources belonging to, owned, held or controlled” by the people listed were now frozen within the 28-nation union’’.
This was said in a legal filing published in the European Union’s official journal.
The announcement followed a decision taken last month by EU foreign ministers in response to the collapse of the Ukrainian government.
Yanukovich’s flew into exile following a crackdown on protesters in Kiev in which scores killed.
Ukraine’s new Prime Minister, Arseny Yatseniuk, has said Yanukovich embezzled as much as 37 billion dollars during three years in office.
In its filing, the EU said Yanukovich’s assets were being frozen “in connection with the embezzlement of Ukrainian state funds and their illegal transfer outside Ukraine”.
Other prominent names on the sanctions list are Viktor Pshonka, Ukraine’s former prosecutor general, Oleksandr Yakymenko, the former head of the security service and Olena Lukash, the former minister of justice.
The sons of Yanukovich and Azarov were also on the list.
Yatseniuk was due to meet EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the next steps to help Ukraine and its struggling economy get back on its feet.
The EU has pledged around 15 billion dollars in financial assistance to Ukraine, although that is subject to Kiev agreeing terms with the International Monetary Fund.