Canada announces new sanctions against Russian individuals

Canada announced a new round of sanctions against Russia on Monday following a meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his British and Dutch counterparts.

Ten other people have been added to the sanctions list. Their names were suggested by Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader and activist.

“These sanctions have put increased pressure on Russian leaders, including Putin’s inner circle,” Trudeau said.

Still conspicuously absent from Monday’s sanctions list is billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club, Roman Abramovich. He is a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also has extensive business holdings in Western Canada.

The ten Russians added to the list on Monday are leaders and key media figures, business leaders and senior government officials who, in some cases, also hold important positions in Russian industry.

Among the media personalities sanctioned is Vladimir Solovyov, a presenter and animator accused of making propaganda. The Guardian reported that Italian police seized his villa on Lake Como shortly after the invasion began.

Also on the sanctions list is Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russian TV news channel RT. She is described by the EU as a central figure in Russian government propaganda and is accused of promoting Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The third media mogul on the list is Konstantin Ernst, described by The New Yorker in 2019 as “the creative director of the Kremlin”. He is the CEO of the Channel One Russia television network.

Among the sanctioned Russian officials are Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, banker and agriculture minister Dmitry Patrushev, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and former justice minister Pavel Krasheninnikov.

Canada is also targeting two FSB officials, the successor to the KGB: Victor Gavrilov and Dmitry Ivanov. Both men were allegedly involved in Navalny’s arrest.

Also on the list is Oleg Deripaska, a Russian industrialist with interests in aluminum, mining, airports and energy projects.

The Liberal government has faced increasing pressure, including from the Ukrainian government, to target Abramovich.

To date, Canadian sanctions have targeted hundreds of Russian regime officials and a much smaller number of oligarchs.

While the Russian economy and Russian businesses have been hit hard, there are few signs of impact on the ground in Ukraine. Attempts to establish humanitarian corridors have failed and 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine to escape the relentless shelling.

Allies say they recognize the disconnect.

“Yes, I agree with you. The sanctions have not had the desired effect,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Monday in response to a reporter’s question. “They have a huge effect on Russia but they are not against Russians.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the meeting with Trudeau and Rutte to promote his idea of ​​a humanitarian coalition to help Ukraine.

Even after the meeting, the corridor remained a vague proposal to provide long-term assistance to Ukraine.

“As Ukrainians resist Russia’s onslaught with courage and tenacity, the international community must assist their struggle in any way possible,” Johnson said.

The three leaders, who met at a Royal Air Force base in west London, also discussed Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and natural gas.

Trudeau said Europeans have begun to realize that Moscow is not a reliable partner.

Johnson suggested that moving Europe’s energy sources out of Russian control could affect global climate change goals. He insisted that this does not mean that these goals are abandoned.

The United States, meanwhile, is discussing a ban on Russian oil. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was ready to act unilaterally if necessary.

Rutte said that while no one doubts that Europe needs to diversify its energy supplies, the job of disentangling the continent from Moscow must be done in an orderly fashion.

“It’s a step-by-step process,” he said. “We need to make sure we reduce our dependence on Russian oil and natural gas. If we force companies to stop doing business with Russia in this area, it would have huge consequences.”

Trudeau was greeted at 10 Downing Street by a handful of angry protesters waving Canadian flags and calling for the release of Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of the anti-vaccine convoy that occupied downtown Ottawa for decades. weeks.

The protest prompted Trudeau to use a separate entrance.