Shortly before the second anniversary of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on Saturday, the USA announced sanctions against more than 500 participants and helpers of the “Russian war machine”. The Finance and Foreign Ministries wanted to announce the sanctions in detail, a spokeswoman for the Finance Ministry in Washington told the AFP news agency. It is the largest package of sanctions since the start of the war.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden announced that he would announce further “significant” sanctions against Russia on Friday in response to the death of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
The US government also announced legal action against Russian oligarchs in the USA. The goal, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland, is to “interrupt the illicit money flows that are fueling Putin’s war and hold accountable those who continue to enable it.” According to Garland, cases have been initiated against Russian entrepreneurs in New York, Washington and the states of Florida and Georgia. The assets of key players for the Kremlin and the Russian military should be confiscated.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the US, EU and other countries have imposed numerous sanctions to weaken Russia’s military industry and reduce Moscow’s revenue from oil and gas sales. Among other things, a price cap for Russian crude oil was put into effect.
