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Japanese non-life insurance companies have suspended the signing of new contracts and the extension of existing agreements with Japanese firms operating in Russia due to anti-Russian sanctions, Japanese media reported on Saturday.

Tokio Marine Nichido, among other insurance companies, will not renew existing contracts after their terms expire, the Kyodo news agency said. The decision has been dictated by issues in conducting financial transactions with Russia due to sanctions over Ukraine, according to the news.

If Japanese companies decide to continue their activities in Russia, they will need to enter new agreements with local property insurers, Kyodo said.

A survey released by Tokyo Shoko Research in March showed that about 200 Japanese companies engage in business in Russia, Kyodo reported.

Japan has imposed several sanctions against Russia due to Russia's military operation in Ukraine. Japan's sanctions list includes 101 names and 130 organisations from Russia. On 18 March, Japan imposed a ban on the export to Russia of about 300 products, luxury goods.

Total of 73 civilians were killed and another 1,254 sustained various injuries in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces over the past 52 days, the DPR representative office in the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination of the ceasefire regime (JCCC) said on Saturday.

"During the 52 days of the conflict escalation by the Ukrainian armed forces, 73 civilians were killed, one person died today, 1,254 sustained injuries of varying severity, including 74 children," the DPR mission said in a statement.

In total, the DPR authorities recorded 1,756 instances of shelling by the Ukrainian troops, including 1,566 with the use of heavy weapons.

As a result of the Ukrainian shelling, 2,057residential buildings, 527 civil infrastructure facilities and 259 vehicles were damaged in the DPR, according to the statement.

The Japanese energy company Kyushu Electric Power has decided not to buy Russian coal this year amid the intensifying international sanctions against Russia over its military operation in Ukraine, media reported on Saturday.

According to the NHK broadcaster, last fiscal year, Kyushu Electric Power purchased in Russia 8 percent of the coal needed for its power plants.

The company has no long-term contracts with Russia and has not signed any short-term contracts with Russian firms since the start of the military operation in Ukraine.

This move demonstrates that Kyushu Electric Power has already found alternative suppliers of coal.

The company suspended all orders in Russia after first new restrictions against Russia imposed by the United States, Forbes reported, citing a source close to the company.

"In response to the Russian Federation’s (Russia) ongoing aggression in Ukraine following its further invasion of the country, as substantially enabled by Belarus, this rule expands license requirements for Russia and Belarus under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to all items on the Commerce Control List (CCL)," the Commerce Department said in a press release on Friday.

The new rule also removes license exception eligibility for aircraft registered in, owned or controlled by, or under charter or lease by Belarus or a national of Belarus, the release said.

As a result of the latest change, the restrictions will now cover all ten commerce control list categories (numbers 0-9). The Commerce Department is now tightening export controls across categories 0-2, which include items related to chemicals, microorganisms, minerals, fertilizer, materials processing parts like valves, along with dual purpose nuclear-related materials and equipment.

"Until Russia withdraws from Ukraine, I reiterate that we will not be accepting any civic invitations or collaborations of any kind and I ask that you withdraw the Consul from our City immediately - they are not welcome in Edinburgh," the note said.

KALININGRAD, Russia (Sputnik) - The fifth package of EU sanctions against Russia, which restricts automobile traffic, will not affect the traffic between mainland Russia and the Kaliningrad Region, the latter's governor, Anton Alikhanov, said.

"Point B of paragraph 2 excludes transit between the Kaliningrad Region and the rest of the Russian Federation from the restrictions," Alikhanov wrote on his Telegram channel.