U.S. sanctions Putin's chef, Kremlin spokesman, more oligarchs

The White House on Thursday slapped new sanctions on prominent Russians with close ties to Vladimir Putin, as well as their family members, leveling additional penalties on the Kremlin for invading Ukraine, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"Today, I'm announcing that we're adding dozens of names to the list, including one of Russia's wealthiest billionaires... And I'm banning travel to America by more than 50 Russian oligarchs, their families, and their close associates," President Joe Biden said before his Cabinet meeting Thursday afternoon.

Washington's goal was "to maximize the impact on Putin and Russia, and to minimize the harm on us and our allies and friends around the world", as Biden put it.

"Our interest is in maintaining the strongest unified economic impact campaign that -- on Putin in all of history, and I think we're well on the way to doing that..." he said, adding that "we're going to continue to support [the] Ukrainian people with direct assistance."

One of the elites that the Biden administration added to its sanctions list is Alisher Burhanovich Usmanov, one of Russia's wealthiest individuals and a close ally of Putin.

His property will be blocked from use in the U.S. and by U.S. persons – including his superyacht, one of the world's largest, and just seized by our ally Germany, and his private jet, one of Russia's largest privately-owned aircraft, according to the White House fact sheet announcing the new sanctions.

The U.S. is also sanctioning Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who the Biden administration labeled a "top purveyor of Putin's propaganda." Both individuals have already been sanctioned by the EU.

The new sanctions will hit a handful of wealthy Russians with ties to the Kremlin, and some of their family members will also be targeted.

The list includes:

* Nikolai Tokarev (his wife Galina, daughter Mayya, and his two luxury real estate companies)

* Boris Rotenberg (his wife Karina, and his sons Roman and Boris)

* Arkady Rotenberg (His sons Pavel and Igor and daughter Liliya)

* Sergei Chemezov (His wife Yekaterina, his son Stanislav, and stepdaughter Anastasiya)

* Igor Shuvalov (His five companies, his wife Olga, his son Evgeny and his company and jet, and his daughter Maria and her company)

* Yevgeniy Prigozhin (His three companies, his wife, Polina, his daughter Lyubov, and his son Pavel),

* Dmitry Peskov, President Putin's press secretary

* Alisher Usmanov (His superyacht, one of the world's largest and just seized by our ally Germany, and his private jet, one of Russia's largest privately-owned aircraft)

The White House also said it is imposing visa restrictions on 19 Russian oligarchs and 47 of their family members and close associates.

Additionally, the administration announced plans to sanction 7 Russian entities and 26 individuals based in Russia and Ukraine the U.S. says are contributing to Russian disinformation campaigns related to the invasion of Ukraine.

In order to enforce sanctions on Russian oligarchs, the Justice Department has launched a new task force to prosecute individuals who try to evade sanctions. The White House has asked Congress for $59 million to support the new task force.

In addition, the White House is also imposing export controls on Russian oil and gas refining.

"These actions make it clear there is nowhere to hide for individuals and entities that support Russia's flagrant war against Ukraine." Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

U.S. Treasury will designate 7 Russian entities: SDN Strategic Culture Foundation and associated outlets Odna Rodyna, Rhythm of Eurasia, and Journal Kamerton; SouthFront; SDN InfoRos; New Eastern Outlook; Oriental Review; United World International; and Geopolitical.

Blinken said the State Department is imposing "substantial costs on Russia's defense enterprises by sanctioning 22 defense-related firms. These far-reaching sanctions target entities that develop and produce fighter aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles, electronic warfare systems, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles for Russia's military. These sanctions strike at the core of Putin's war machine."

The U.S. Commerce Department, in its turn, is imposing export controls on oil and gas extraction equipment that support Russia's refining capacity.

"Because a significant portion of the Russian government's revenue comes from the sale of oil and gas, these actions will degrade Russia's ability to raise revenue to support and sustain its military aggression" – Blinken explained. "These measures also align U.S. export controls in this area with those of the European Union."

The U.S. commends the continued support "of our allies and partners across the world in the face of the Russian aggression against Ukraine." 

"We also applaud the bravery of the Ukrainian people who are fighting in defense of their country and those who must endure this unprovoked Russian invasion." Blinken noted.

"We stand in solidarity with them and will continue to support the government and people of Ukraine in the face of the Kremlin's aggression, and we are resolute in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity."

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.