MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday ordering the government to compile a list of Ukrainian individuals and legal entities practicing "unfriendly actions" against Russia.
The Kremlin's website on Monday reported the signing of the presidential decree, which said the measures were being considered in response "to unfriendly actions of Ukraine".
The government was ordered to "determine the lists of individuals and legal entities in respect of which special economic measures are applied," and "identify special economic measures applicable to individuals and legal entities", reports Press TV.
The decree was signed "in response to unfriendly actions of Ukraine contradicting international law" and "the imposition of restrictive measures against Russian citizens and legal entities," without specifying them.
Ukraine originally imposed sanctions against Russia in February 2014 over the unification of Crimea, a former territory of Ukraine with Russia.
The people in Crimea voted in a referendum to join Russia. Kiev and its Western allies, however, refused to accept the unification; accusing Moscow of illegally "annexing" the peninsula to its territory.
In June 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree to expand sanctions on Russian companies and entities.
The sanctions would last at least three years and included penalties on Russian lawmakers and top officials.
According to the United Nations (UN) figures, it has so far left over 10,000 people dead and more than a million others displaced since its onset.
Western countries accuse Russia of supporting pro-Russia forces in the region. Moscow denies the allegation.