Support The Moscow Times!

Ukraine to Replicate U.S. Sanctions on Russian Individuals

Petro Poroshenko NATO / Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Ukraine has decided to expand sanctions on Russian companies and entities to mirror those of the United States, which has blacklisted tycoons and allies of Russia's Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday.

Kiev has also extended existing sanctions it introduced against hundreds of Russian companies and entities in response to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Kremlin support for a pro-Russian separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine.

"With today's decision, we have coordinated new sanctions ... with those that have been introduced by the United States against citizens and legal entities of the Russian Federation," Poroshenko said in a statement after a meeting of the country's Security and Defense Council.

He did not say which individuals were on the latest list or when the sanctions would come into force, but he has previously said Ukraine would sanction Russian oligarchs including Oleg Deripaska.

In April, the United States imposed major sanctions against 24 Russians, including aluminum tycoon Deripaska — one of Washington's most aggressive moves to punish Moscow for its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and other “malign activity."

It is not clear what effect the new Ukrainian sanctions will have as many Russian companies have already sought to wind up their Ukraine-linked activities due to earlier sanctions.

If Deripaska is on the new list it could impact the operations of the Mykolaiv plant in Ukraine, which is the second-largest alumina asset of Deripaska's Rusal.

The Mykolaiv plant has previously declined to comment on the impact of possible sanctions on Deripaska.

The security and defense council said the new sanctions would be in force for at least three years and included penalties on Russian lawmakers and top officials.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more