Sanctions imposed on Moscow over Ukraine crisis

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Russia's advancement into Ukraine has prompted a wave of sanctions as global leaders seek to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin.

As Russia's military moves in on Kiev and thousands of Ukrainians flee to neighboring nations, here are some of the penalties imposed so far on Moscow.

United States 

US President Joe Biden announced on Friday that his country's sanctions on Russia have been expanded to include sanctions against President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as a travel ban for the two leaders.

Biden was the first world leader to announce sanctions, hours after Putin declared a "military operation" into Ukraine.

The first wave of sanctions will target four Russian banks, cutting off more than half of Russia's technology imports and oligarchs.

Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, and 12 other large corporations will be unable to raise funds on Western financial markets.

Exports of defense and aeronautics technology to Russia are also blocked, and sanctions will be imposed on 24 Belarusian persons and organizations accused of supporting and assisting the Kremlin's "invasion" of Ukraine.

Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary, also announced on Friday that the US would impose penalties on the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the country's sovereign wealth fund.

European Union 

On Friday, the European Union added Putin and Lavrov to its sanctions list. The decision was made at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels to accept a wide package of sanctions on Russia that the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has described as the "harshest" the bloc has ever drafted.

The package, which EU leaders decided at an overnight session, slams Russia's financial, energy, and transportation sectors, as well as Russians' ability to hold substantial sums of money in EU banks.

It also increases the number of Russians on the EU's list of sanctioned individuals who are forbidden from entering the bloc's 27 member states and have their EU assets frozen.

Britain  

On Friday, the British government ordered all of Putin's and Lavrov's assets to be frozen, as well as the banning of oligarch jets from its airspace.

The two men have been added to a list of Russian oligarchs whose property and bank accounts in the United Kingdom have already been frozen by the Treasury.

Britain had previously frozen the assets of Russian bank VTB and arms maker Rostec, as well as banning Russia's flagship airline Aeroflot from its airspace and targeting five additional oligarchs linked to Putin.

 Canada  

Justin Trudeau, who has promised to "punish Russia", joined other international leaders in imposing sanctions on Putin and Lavrov on Friday.

He additionally signaled "Canada's support to remove Russia from the SWIFT payment system, a critical part of the global banking system."

Belarus would also face sanctions, he added, "for aiding President Putin's "invasion" of a free and sovereign nation."

Nearly 60 people and businesses, including members of the elite, security officials, banks, and the secretive Russian private security firm the Wagner group, will be targeted by new sanctions aimed at punishing Putin and Lavrov's close circle.

Export licenses for $550 million worth of aerospace, computer technology, and mining goods have been revoked.

Canada is imposing sanctions in response to "aggression", yet it is committed to sending legal weapons to Ukraine since before Russia's special military operation. 

As announced by Canada's Defense minister Anita Anand, the second batch of military transport aircraft C-17 of the Royal Canadian Air Force has arrived in Ukraine, bringing in lethal military aid. 

This announcement came following the decision by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, with Anand's support, with the aim to "deter Russian aggression."

Asia-Pacific  

The Asia-Pacific region's reactions were not as unanimous. India, which has close links to Moscow and is a big buyer of Russian arms, has resisted adopting the sanctions thus far.

Fumio Kishida, Japan's Prime Minister, slammed Putin's attempts to "alter the status quo by force" and placed sanctions on semiconductor exports and financial institutions, which are currently in short supply around the world.

Neighboring Taiwan announced it would join in sanctions as the Kremlin's actions pose "the most serious threat... to the rules-based international order."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia announced a "second phase" of penalties against 25 people, four financial institutions, and entities involved in the development and sale of military equipment.

Once "those responsible for these egregious acts" are discovered, he warned, another round will be enforced, which might include targeting members of Russia's Parliament.

Morrison also slammed China's reaction, which stated that it understands Moscow's "reasonable concerns" about Ukraine and that it will expand Russian wheat imports.

"You don't go to throw a lifeline to Russia in the middle of a period when they are invading another country," he said. 

Russian lawmaker says West likely exhausted ways to impose sanctions on Russia

Sanctions against the Russian leadership indicate that Western countries have exhausted their supply of possible sanctions on Russia, Andrey Klishas, the chairman of the Russian upper chamber's Committee on Constitutional Legislation, told Sputnik.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were included in the list of restrictive measures of the European Union. The United Kingdom also imposed sanctions against Putin and Lavrov, which include freezing of their assets. Several other countries followed suit.

"The fact that a number of Western countries, in the sanctions-fueled rage, switched to flashy, but, as they themselves admit, symbolic gestures, indicates that their sanctions tools have been exhausted," Klishas said.