US sanctions Russian FM spokesperson Maria Zakharova

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The United States has sanctioned Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in the latest round of sanctions on Russian individuals and entities, the Treasury Department announced on Thursday.

"Today's designations were taken in tandem with the US Department of State and the US Department of Commerce. The US Department of State imposed sanctions on five of Russia's oligarchs and elites, including Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the treasury said.

Additional individuals include Severgroup leader Alexey Mordashov and "family members and entities associated with the oligarchs and elites."

Zakharova responds

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova responded Thursday to the US sanctions, saying that the decision was "another performance", noting that she had no bank accounts or real estate abroad.

"They call and ask about the reaction to the inclusion of me in the sanction list of the US Treasury Department. To be honest, I was sure that I had been on the American travel ban list for a long time… I don't have foreign accounts or anything like that. Neither real estate too," Zakharova said.

Zakharova and Mordashov were not the only individuals sanctioned by Washington, as the treasury also sanctioned 17 individuals and 16 entities.

Among the 16 entities is the Russian steel and mining company, Severstal. 

"The United States, alongside over 30 partners around the world, has imposed unprecedented sanctions and export controls to hold President Putin to account for his war against Ukraine, restrict Russia's access to critical technology it needs to fund its war machine, and turn Russia into a global financial pariah," a White House statement read.

"The following entities have been added to OFAC's SDN List: Public Joint Stock Company Severstal [...], Ironstone Marine Investments [...], Limited Liability Company Algoritm [...], Severgroup Limited Liability Company, [...], and SRL SkyLine Aviation," the Treasury said.

The United States has been spearheading a western campaign to impose sanctions on Russia in light of the Ukraine war, which saw Moscow coming under a tide of 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.