Maybe a wee bit less crazy than banning a pet association banning Russian cats, the US has imposed fresh sanctions not only on Russian banks but also on President Vladimir Putin’s daughters for the military operation in Ukraine. The Kremlin has described the move as part of a broader Western frenzy against Moscow.
Slamming the US, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Of course we consider these sanctions in themselves to be the extension of an absolutely rabid position on the imposition of restrictions. In any case, the ongoing line on imposing restrictions against family members speaks for itself.”
Failing to understand why Putin’s daughters were targeted, the Kremlin spokesman said, “This is something that is difficult to understand and explain. Unfortunately, we have to deal with such opponents.”
Besides Putin’s daughters, Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, who the Americans believe are hiding their father’s wealth, the fresh sanctions target Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov’s wife and daughter as well as members of the country’s security council. The sanctions also target Russian banks and include a ban on any US citizen from investing in Russia, including via mergers or capital.
Tikhonova is a tech executive whose employer supports the Russian government and its defence industry while Vorontsova leads government-funded programmes that have received billions of dollars from the Kremlin for genetics research, and that are personally overseen by Putin.
Russia had announced “special military operations” in Ukraine on 24 February as it sent tens of thousands of troops into the East European country. The West has condemned the invasion of Ukraine and also imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow over the same. While the war continues between Moscow-Kyiv, Ukrainian forces have mounted a stiff resistance against their Russian counterparts.
Sanctions on Russian media too
Meanwhile, Russia Today, the media house banned by all leading browsers, has reported, “Western nations want to destroy the Russian economy with sanctions, some of which are in essence nothing short of outright piracy,” citing Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
“Unfriendly nations found no better way than to return to the typical pirate practice, if we call a spade a spade. By freezing our assets, they de facto robbed the country,” Russian media quoted their prime minister as saying. The Russian prime minister was referring to the decision to freeze Russia’s foreign reserves denominated in dollars and euros, which amounted to about $ 300 billion.
The US and its allies targeted Russia with an unprecedented number of economic sanctions in retaliation to Moscow’s military attack against Ukraine in late February. Mishustin said Western nations launched the onslaught “to stir panic and hurt everyone” in Russia.
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