US slam sanctions on high profile Russian citizens with ties to Putin
President Joe Bidden Thursday announced new sanctions against several Russian oligarchs and their family members, saying they continue to support President Vladimir Putin despite his invasion of Ukraine.
The statement read: “these individuals have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people, and some have elevated their family members into high-ranking positions. Others sit atop Russia’s largest companies and are responsible for providing the resources necessary to support Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”
The White House released the list on Thursday of people targeted by the sanctions. It said they will be cut off from the US financial system and their assets in the US will be frozen.
The list includes Boris Rotenberg, who is a board member at Moscow-based SMP Bank, his brother Arkady Rotenberg, who owns a major construction company, and Igor Shuvalov, who is the chairman of a government-affiliated financial institution, VEB. Shuvalov served as first deputy prime minister until four years ago.
Also on the list are Sergei Chemezov, who is the CEO of a state-owned defense company, Rostec, and Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
The Rotenberg brothers are known as close friends of Putin through judo.
