Sanctions

Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Jessica Desvarieux in Baltimore.Eastern Ukraine's civilian death toll has been rising as the fractured country continues to see its worst fighting in months. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that 19 civilians were killed in clashes between separatists and government forces. And the UN says more than 1,000 people have been killed since April. Both sides have exchanged accusations of the targeting of civilian areas by heavy weapons, and the country's UN mission has called for a full investigation into the killing of civilians and warns targeting civilians in warfare violates international humanitarian law.In response to what the West views as Russia's meddling in the crisis and supporting pro-Russian separatists, the European Union expanded sanctions on Russia. It's going to really hit Russia's economy from its oil to its banking industry. And now President Obama says the U.S. will do the same. These sanctions are the most extensive sanctions from the E.U. on Russia since the end of the Cold War. Now joining us to discuss all of this is our guest, Roger Annis. Roger is a writer and solidarity activist in Vancouver, Canada. He was just recently a delegate to the antiwar conference that took place in Crimea.Thanks for joining us, Roger.