US sanctions 40 Russian entities, 29 individuals over Ukraine
The United States imposes another trance of sanctions on Russian officials over the war in Ukraine, upholding its sanctions regime deemed "ineffective" by many Western figures.
The United States added 40 Russian entities and 29 individuals to the Office of Foreign Assets Control's (OFAC) list of sanctioned nationals, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday in an update of the list.
The new sanctions target individuals, including the head of Russia's central bank Kseniya Yudayeva and Otkritie FC Bank chief Mikhail Zadornov, as well as other individuals connected to Russia's financial institutions, according to the Treasury Department update.
US imposes visa restrictions on Russian, DPR, LPR officials
The United States has imposed restrictions on several officials from Russia, Lugansk, and Donetsk republics, the State Department said on Wednesday.
"Action to impose visa restrictions on 587 Russian individuals pursuant to a new policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which was announced March 15.  The policy applies to Russian government officials involved in suppressing dissent in Russia and abroad," the department's statement said.
The sanctions, target Russian officials Khusein Khutaev, Nurid Salamov, and Dzhabrail Akhmatov, designating them for their involvement in a "gross violation of human rights perpetrated against human rights defender Oyub Titiev."
Washington also explained that the sanctions also targeted ten officials from the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic, who they also claimed were involved in "human rights abuses at prison facilities and places of unofficial detention" in certain areas of the Donbass region.
Russia has launched a special military operation for several reasons, including NATO's eastward expansion. Other reasons were the Ukrainian shelling of Donbass and the killing of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, in addition to Moscow wanting to "denazify" and demilitarize Ukraine.
The sanctions on Russia are over its special military operation in Ukraine, launched due to NATO's eastward expansion, Kiev's shelling of Donbass, and the killing of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, in addition to Moscow wanting to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine.
The US and its allies subsequently rolled out comprehensive sanctions, including restrictions on the Russian central bank, export control measures, SWIFT cutoff for select banks, and closure of airspace to all Russian flights. Many of their companies have suspended their Russian operations.
There were many sanctions on Russian individuals as well, including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.