Canada imposed sanctions on Russia’s propagandists and military firms

On June 13, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada announced new sanctions against Russia in connection with its full-scale war against Ukraine. This was stated in a statement by the Canadian Foreign Ministry.

Canada’s new sanctions are aimed at individuals and organizations involved in the Kremlin’s disinformation and propaganda campaigns, as well as Russian military industry firms.

“These sanctions target many individuals and entities implicated in disinformation and propaganda operations, including those identified by Rapid Response Mechanism Canada. They also include entities in Russia’s military-industrial complex that supply key technology and electrical components in support of Russia’s war efforts.”

Canadian Foreign Ministry

Canada’s news restrictions also target individuals involved in circumventing existing sanctions, which facilitate Russia’s access to sanctioned goods and help it evade the oil price ceiling imposed by the Group of Seven.

New Canada’s sanctions list mentions Russian Minister of Industrial Trade Anton Alikhanov, publisher Aram Gabrelyanov, who is behind Russian propaganda projects such as LifeNews, and the Pobeda airline.

Canada imposed sanctions on Russian propaganda media

The list also includes the Russian parliamentary publication Rossiyskaya Gazeta, several Russian media outlets in the occupied territories of Ukraine, and the Voice of Europe platform, a pro-Russian multilingual outlet involved in the campaign to influence the European Parliament elections.

In a separate decision, Canada imposed a ban on the export of computer numerical control machines that Russia can use in the production and manufacture of weapons.

New US sanctions against Russia

On June 12, the United States announced a series of new sanctions against Russia, The NYT reported. The US has imposed sanctions on 300 legal entities and individuals from the Russian Federation, Belarus, and China.

Among the entities targeted by the sanctions are the Moscow Stock Exchange, the National Clearing Center, and the National Settlement Depository. 

Additionally, companies involved in the production of drones, suppliers of microchips and other products for the Russian military industry, as well as vessels used for the transportation of liquefied natural gas, have been sanctioned too.

The US has also implemented a ban on providing Russia with services related to information technologies and cloud services.

The United Kingdom followed with new sanctions against Russia aimed at making it harder for Russia to wage war against Ukraine. Among the financial institutions to be sanctioned is the Moscow Stock Exchange, which was sanctioned by the United States.

“New targets include ships in Putin’s shadow fleet, institutions at the heart of Russia’s financial system and suppliers supporting Russia’s military production. (…) The UK’s first sanctions targeting vessels in Putin’s shadow fleet, used by Russia to circumvent UK and G7 sanctions and continue unfettered trade in Russian oil,” the UK government’s communiqué said.