New EU sanctions against Russia have gone into force, blocking loans for five big state banks and curbing EU business with oil and defence firms, reports GHN based on BBC.
The aim is to keep pressure on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis. But the measures could be eased or lifted if a ceasefire in Ukraine holds.
Russia says it is preparing a response. One top Russian official said cars imported from the EU could be targeted.
Nato says Russia still has about 1,000 heavily armed troops in east Ukraine.
US President Barack Obama said his country would join the EU in imposing tougher sanctions on Russia, targeting the defence, finance and energy sectors. He said he would provide details on Friday.
The EU and US accuse the Kremlin of directly helping pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions by sending regular soldiers across the border, along with sophisticated weapons including tanks. Moscow denies the allegations.
Nato says Russia is still keeping about 20,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, besides those it says are inside Ukraine.
The separatists have recently made big gains in eastern Ukraine. The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people since April.
Blacklisted officials
The new EU sanctions add 24 more Russian officials and rebel leaders to a blacklist, subjecting them to visa bans and asset freezes.
"They comprise persons involved in actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity, including the new leadership in Donbass, the government of Crimea as well as Russian decision-makers and oligarchs," said astatement from the EU Council, the grouping of 28 member states' governments.
"This brings the total of persons subject to sanctions to 119 while 23 [Russian] entities remain under asset freeze in the EU," it said.