Russia hits back at western sanctions over Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an executive order Wednesday banning procurement of food, agriculture and raw material products for a year from countries imposing sanctions on Russia. The order, published on the Presidency website, said: "State bodies of power, federal authorities, local self-government bodies, legal entities established in accordance with Russian law, and physical individuals under Russian jurisdiction shall, in carrying out their activities, respect for a duration of one year following this Executive Order's entry into force a ban or restriction on foreign economic operations involving the import to Russia of particular kinds of agricultural produce, raw materials and foodstuffs originating in countries that have decided to impose economic sanctions on Russian legal entities and/or physical individuals, or have joined such decisions." As a move towards "preserving the national interest of Russia," Putin ordered the Dmitry Medvedev government to determine the products to be affected and take measures to prevent sharp price increases in relevant products. Russia faced a first wave of sanctions after annexing Crimea in March. Another wave followed after the downing of a Malaysian airliner that killed all 298 passengers and crew members aboard.