Biden Sanctions 19 Russian Oligarchs & Their Families After Invasion Of Ukraine

The White House imposed more sanctions on Thursday, this time targeting the assets of eight Russian oligarchs, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week.

“These individuals have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people, and some have elevated their family members into high-ranking positions,” said the White House. “Others sit atop Russia’s largest companies and are responsible for providing the resources necessary to support Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”

The new penalties will cut the oligarchs off from the U.S. financial system along with freezing their assets in America in an effort to pressure oligarchs to speak out against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki reported that the oligarchs were chosen based on how close they were to Putin and that all of them were “known to direct, authorize, fund, significantly support, or carry out malign activities in support of Russia’s destabilizing foreign policy.”

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, Alisher Usmanov, a Putin ally and Nikolai Tokarez, who was a former colleague of Putin, and his family are among those who were sanctioned.

Oligarchs have already made efforts to move their assets to places where the sanctions won’t apply.

Visa restrictions were levied on 19 more oligarchs and 47 of their family members and friends.

“Our interest is to maintain the strongest unified economic campaign on Putin in all history, and I think we’re really on the way to doing that,” President Joe Biden said.