…As Western powers consider introducing further sanctions against Russia, Ukraine's government says it has evidence that four Russian banks are involved in funding pro-Russian separatist agitation in eastern Ukraine and is urging Western politicians to sanction them…Ukraine's government, which is struggling to contain a tide of separatism in the east that has seen armed pro-Russian agitators seize government buildings in nearly a dozen cities, says some of Russia's top banks, including Russia's largest, the state-owned Sberbank, are helping to fund the separatists…Ukraine's chief prosecutor, Oleg Makhnitskiy, told a Ukrainian television channel…that he has launched an investigation into Sberbank for funding pro-Moscow separatists. The bank is the third largest in Eastern Europe and has branches in Ukraine. Ukrainian government officials told VOA the bank owned by Russia's energy giant Gazprom also is under investigation…[T]he Financial Times newspaper...reported Europe's resolve to impose tough economic sanctions on Moscow is cracking under corporate lobbying, as companies warn governments that any retaliation from the Kremlin could cost them dearly [also refers to VTB Bank and Prominvestbank]. [Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Gazprom, Sberbank, VTB Bank & Prominvestbank to respond. Sberbank, VTB Bank & Prominvestbank responses provided. Gazprom did not respond.]