(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) European foreign ministers on Monday imposed sanctions against 21 Russian and Ukrainian officials the European bloc linked to unrest in Ukraine's Crimea Monday. Ministers and EU officials said the 21 people, mainly political figures involved in the breakaway of Crimea, would face asset freezes and travel bans, the British newspaper the Guardian reported. The ministers said the list could expand. The punitive measures came on the eve of an address to the Russian Parliament by President Vladimir Putin on Crimea when he's expected to start the process to formalize the incorporation of Crimea. In Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, the Parliament Monday approved the referendum to break away from Ukraine, declared independence and formally applied to become part of Russia, Voice of America reported. The vote culminates weeks of escalating tensions in the pro-Russia region, which saw thousands of troops mass and surround Ukraine military installations soon after Viktor Yanukovych, a Russian ally, was ousted and an interim government installed in Kiev following months of anti-government protests. Crimea and Russia challenged the fledgling government in Kie
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