Share this @internewscast.com

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday announced more than 500 new sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine and the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny last week in prison — the largest tranche since the conflict began, the administration said.

Biden said the sanctions would target those connected to Navalny’s imprisonment, as well as Russia’s financial sector, defense industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across several continents.

“They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home,” Biden said in a statement about the sanctions. He noted the action is timed with the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. is also imposing export restrictions on almost 100 entities that support Russia’s military efforts and taking action to reduce Russia’s energy revenues, Biden said.

“I’ve directed my team to strengthen support for civil society, independent media, and those who fight for democracy around the world,” he added.

Biden emphasized the need for Congress to pass the Senate foreign aid package, saying Ukraine is “running out of ammunition.” Ukraine needs more supplies from the U.S. to “hold the line against Russia’s relentless attacks,” which are enabled by ammunition and arms from Iran and North Korea, the president said.

“That’s why the House of Representatives must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill, before it’s too late,” Biden said.

The Treasury Department said in a release detailing the sanctions that its Office of Foreign Assets Control is targeting almost 300 individuals and entities; combined with actions by the State Department, the administration’s moves bring the total number of targets sanctioned to more than 500 — the largest number of sanctions imposed on Russia since it invaded Ukraine, the release said.

Treasury also noted that the State Department is designating three Russian government officials in connection with Navalny’s death, but didn’t identify them. The Department of Commerce, meanwhile, is placing trade restrictions on more than 90 companies.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told reporters Thursday night that the sanctions aim to do two things: “One is reducing Russia’s revenues; the second is making sure that Russia can’t get access to the goods they need to build the weapons they want for their war.”

Adeyemo said previous U.S. sanctions have been successful, reducing the country’s oil revenues by 40% and causing Russia to struggle to access goods it needs to build weapons.

“Fundamentally, our strategy does not only pertain to slowing down Russia’s ability to build the weapons they want, it also includes speeding up the Ukrainians’ ability to defend themselves by providing them with weapons and resources to build their economy,” Adeyemo said.

He added that people won’t recognize many of the hundreds of names on the sanctions list “because ever since our first round of sanctions, Russia has been leveraging its intelligence services to find ways to evade our actions and procure the goods it needs to resupply the battlefield and now to make those goods at home.”

Russia’s wartime transformation is allowing the U.S. to target densely concentrated production “in new and efficient way,” Ademeyo said. “With such vertical integration, we can hit the entire supply chain, and attempts to fortify his military industrial base have only made it more vulnerable. If Russia is going to turn its industries into wartime producers, then all Russians production is now fair game.”

The sanctions package, which the president previewed Tuesday, was announced exactly a week after Russia’s prison service said Navalny, 47, died in a Russian penal colony above the Arctic Circle. He was serving a combined prison sentence of more than 30 years on charges of extremism and fraud, which he denied.

On Thursday, Biden met with Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, and their daughter, Dasha, in California.

Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, said in a video statement Thursday that she was allowed access to her son’s body in a morgue, but her lawyer had not been able to come with her. She alleged Russian authorities were “blackmailing” her by threatening that if she didn’t agree to a secret funeral, they would “do something with the body.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Bodycam video shows New York police officers rescue choking 10-month-old baby in Corona, Queens

Watch: Heroic NYPD Officers Save Choking Infant in Queens with Quick Response

In Corona, Queens, a 10-month-old infant’s life was saved by the quick…
Feds say 14 arrested during chaotic immigration sweep that sparked protests on NYC's Canal Street

14 Arrested in Turbulent NYC Immigration Raid Amid Canal Street Protests, Say Feds

NEW YORK (AP) — An immigration raid on Manhattan’s bustling Canal Street…
Former ESPN Host Blasts Boy Competing Against Daughter

Ex-ESPN Host Criticizes Boy Competing Against His Daughter in Sports Event

Outrage Erupts as Christian Ponder’s Wife Criticizes Transgender Participation in Girls’ Sports…
Artist Ben Wahhh of Deluxe Tattoo started Ink Relief Program with Salt and Light Coalition to help domestic violence survivors

Empowering Survivors: Ben Wahhh’s Ink Relief Program Transforms Lives Through Art and Healing

CHICAGO (WLS) — As we observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October,…
Family fights for father's release from ICE custody after Crestwood arrest, details conditions at Broadview facility

Family Battles for Father’s Freedom: Inside the Harrowing Conditions at Broadview ICE Facility After Crestwood Arrest

CHICAGO (WLS) — Mariana Cabrera recounted the tense hours her family endured,…
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich shares message from Catholic Church to undocumented immigrants in US

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich Delivers Important Message to Undocumented Immigrants in the U.S.

CHICAGO — Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago released a series of videos…
Pardoned Jan 6 rioter accused of threatening to kill Hakeem Jeffries after Trump clemency

Pardoned Capitol Rioter Faces New Allegations of Threatening Hakeem Jeffries Post-Trump Clemency

A man previously pardoned by former President Donald Trump for his involvement…
Riverside Church responds to Pride flag vandalism with even more flags

Riverside Church Amplifies Support with Increased Pride Flags Following Vandalism Incident

On October 20, a distressing incident occurred at Riverside Church located at…
National Guard Chicago news: Judge to consider extension of order temporarily blocking National Guard in Chicago area

Judge to Decide Fate of National Guard Deployment in Chicago: Temporary Block Extension Under Review

The unfolding story in Chicago has taken a significant turn, as a…
Sonya Massey trial: Opening statements begin in trial of former Illinois Deputy Dean Grayson, accused of murder

High-Profile Illinois Trial Begins: Former Deputy Dean Grayson Faces Murder Charges

In Peoria, Illinois, the trial of Sean Grayson commenced on Wednesday with…
Wyoming Capitol bomb investigators focus on men seen in security video

Investigators Zero In on Individuals Captured in Security Footage in Wyoming Capitol Bomb Probe

Investigators in Wyoming are on the hunt for two individuals suspected of…
Cheerleader dies after being shot at high school bonfire, remembered for having 'spunk to her step'

Tragic Loss: Beloved Cheerleader Fatally Shot at High School Bonfire, Celebrated for Her Spirited Legacy

Tragedy struck a high school gathering in Pinson, Alabama, when a young…