The EU has reportedly drawn up a list of senior figures in Russia’s elite who could be hit with sanctions.

Up to 130 top Russians face asset freezes and travel bans, European officials are quoted as saying.

Along with cabinet ministers, security officials, and senior Kremlin aides, German newspaper Bild also claimed on Friday that the CEO’s of Russia’s two biggest companies, Gazprom and Rosneft would also be on the list.

A spokesperson for Rosneft chief Igor Sechin reportedly said, he ‘‘hoped it was empty rhetoric’‘, adding, ‘It’s silly, petty and obviously they are sabotaging themselves.’‘

EU foreign ministers are due to meet in Brussels next Monday to decide on whether to start sanctions against officials in Russia’s political and military establishment, and to discuss what shape the measures would take.