US, Europe impose new sanctions on Russia to coincide with Ukraine war anniversary and Navalny’s death

WASHINGTON — The United States and the European Union have announced new sanctions against Russia ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in retaliation for the death of prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in an Arctic penal colony last week. is imposed.

The U.S. Treasury on Friday plans to impose more than 500 new sanctions against Russia and its war machine, the largest single round of sanctions since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The indictment announced Thursday by the Justice Department targets Russian businessmen and their intermediaries, including the head of Russia’s second-largest bank, in five separate federal cases.

The European Union on Friday announced sanctions on several foreign companies for allegedly exporting munitions to Russia that could be used in the war against Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc also said it was targeting a number of Russian officials, including “members of the judicial authorities, local politicians, and those responsible for the illegal deportation and military reeducation of Ukrainian children.” Ta.

“The American people and people around the world understand that the stakes in this fight extend far beyond Ukraine,” President Joe Biden said in a statement announcing the sanctions. “If President Putin does not pay the price for his own death and destruction, he will continue to advance, and the costs to the United States and our NATO allies and partners in Europe and around the world will increase.”

The US specifically planned to target individuals linked to Navalny’s imprisonment, a day after Biden met with the opposition leader’s widow and daughter in California. Biden said it was also hitting “Russia’s financial sector, defense industrial base, procurement network, and sanctions evaders across multiple continents.” “They will ensure that President Putin pays an even higher price for aggression abroad and repression at home.”

The EU asset freeze and travel ban is the 13th measure the EU has imposed against persons or entities suspected of undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: “Today we are further tightening restrictive measures against Russia’s military and defense sector.” “We remain united in our determination to weaken Russia’s war machine and help Ukraine win its legitimate fight for self-defense.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the EU sanctions were “unlawful” and undermined “the international law privileges of the United Nations Security Council.” In response, the ministry has banned some EU nationals from entering Ukraine due to military aid to Ukraine. There was no immediate reaction to the U.S. sanctions.

In total, 106 more officials and 88 “entities” (many of them companies, banks, government agencies and other organizations) were added to the block’s sanctions list, bringing the total number of people and entities targeted to 2,000. This includes Russian President Vladimir. President Putin and his allies.

According to the statement, the 27 companies accused of “directly supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine” include electronic devices that the EU believes may have military as well as civilian uses. This includes companies that manufacture parts.

These companies, some of which are based in India, Sri Lanka, China, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Turkey, face stricter export controls.

The coalition said the companies were “involved in circumventing trade restrictions” and accused other companies of “developing, producing and supplying electronic components” to support the Russian military. ing.

Some of the measures are aimed at stripping Russia of unmanned drone parts, which military experts consider key to the war.