Canada joins US and UK and expands sanctions against russia

The US, the UK, and Canada are expanding sanctions against russia in response to the illegal "referendums" in the occupied territories and the announced attempt of "annexation" by russia.

On Friday, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, announced the introduction of additional sanctions in connection with russia's attempt to annex the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.

Joly's statement emphasizes that neither what russian propaganda calls "referendums" nor the decision of the russian parliament to annex Ukrainian regions will affect Canada's position: "Ukraine's territory will remain Ukraine's."

To increase pressure on the russian regime, Canada is introducing measures against 43 russian oligarchs, financial elites, and members of their families, the so-called "Kherson governing body," as well as 35 russian-backed "high-ranking officials" in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

"These individuals and entities are complicit in President Putin's desperate attempt to undermine the principles of state sovereignty and share responsibility for the ongoing senseless bloodshed throughout Ukraine," the Canadian government believes.

Canada is also expanding the sanctions introduced against the so-called "LDNR" prohibiting certain trade operations (in particular, exports and investments) to the russian-occupied areas of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

According to the Canadian government, since the beginning of russia's war against Ukraine in 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions against more than 1,800 individuals and legal entities, and since February 24, 2022, against more than 1,400 individuals and legal entities from russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

The US Treasury Department on Friday announced the expansion of the sanctions list against russia in connection with the attempted annexation of four regions of Ukraine.

The sanctions list includes 14 legal entities from the russian military-industrial complex, three critical managers of the russian financial infrastructure, the closest relatives of some high-ranking russian officials, as well as 278 members of the russian parliament for facilitating russia's holding of fake referendums and the attempted annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory.

In addition, the US Treasury has added 57 legal entities from China, Armenia, and Belarus to the list of organizations that violate US export controls.

Separately, the US State Department is imposing sanctions against the family members of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who is also a member of the russian Security Council, and visa restrictions on russian citizen Ochur-Suge Mongush for torturing a Ukrainian prisoner of war.

The State Department is also imposing visa restrictions on 910 people, including servicemen of the russian federation, Belarusian military officials, and russian "puppets" operating in the russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

In addition, as reported by European Pravda, Great Britain introduced sanctions against the head of the Central Bank of russia, Elvira Nabiullina.

Under the restrictions, her UK assets will be frozen, and she will be banned from entering the country.

We will remind you that on September 30, the russian dictator vladimir putin signed decrees on the "joining" of the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and occupied Luhansk regions of Ukraine to the russian federation.