June 3 Reuters The Russian rouble firmed past 62 to the dollar in Moscow trade on Friday while shares in internet giant Yandex fell sharply after EU countries imposed new sanctions against Russia.

EU countries have agreed their sixth package of sanctions against Russia over what it calls a special military operation in Ukraine, including an import ban on all Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products in six to eight months.

The rouble firmed despite the negative development, as it is continued to be driven by capital controls that Russia imposed to protect its financial system soon after sending tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

At 1405 GMT, the rouble was 0.3 stronger against the dollar at 61.55 and firmed 0.6 to 65.11 against the euro .

The rouble has become the world39;s bestperforming currency so far this year, boosted artificially by capital controls and supported by high prices for commodities, Russia39;s key exports.

New gas payment terms for EU consumers that require conversion of foreign currencies into roubles and a fall in imports have also supported the Russian currency, helping it to shrug off economic hurdles at home and risks of a looming default on sovereign debt.

Most of the gas payments were due in May, Gazprom and the Kremlin have said, and German, Italian and French companies agreed to use the new scheme where endpayments are made in roubles. Buyers from Denmark, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Poland and Finland were cut off…