The US Treasury Department announced on Friday night sanctions targeting figures in the Kremlin and wealthy Russians. Among those targeted by the sanctions are 10 individuals from the board of directors of VTB Bank, 12 members of the State Duma (the Russian lower house), and the family of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The Treasury stated that these sanctions aim to target individuals who supported “President Vladimir Putin’s brutal and unlawful attack on Ukraine,” according to the announcement. The sanctions include three family members of Peskov: his wife, son, and daughter, as well as businessman Viktor Vekselberg, who is close to the Kremlin.
Additionally, the United States imposed economic sanctions on two individuals and three Russian entities on Friday, accusing them of supporting North Korea’s weapons program.
Brian Nelson, the Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated that the sanctions target “a network of individuals and entities in Russia complicit in helping the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea procure components for its illegal ballistic missile systems,” as reported by AFP.
The announcement added that “much of this activity also violates the United Nations sanctions related to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea." Nelson continued: “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to launch ballistic missiles in flagrant violation of international law, posing a serious threat to global security.”
These sanctions regarding the weapons program come a day after the US Department of Defense released an intelligence assessment concluding that North Korea's last two missile tests involved intercontinental ballistic missile systems.
Regarding the Ukraine situation, US authorities aim to penalize the elite connected to President Putin following his invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The sanctions also targeted the wealthy elite in Belarus who support Putin's military campaign against Ukraine.
Russia has faced enormous sanctions from the West following the invasion, making it the most sanctioned country globally. President Putin vowed on Thursday that his country would emerge from Western sanctions stronger.
