In a significant move on Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced a fresh round of sanctions against key figures in Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration.
The sanctions are in response to the poisoning and subsequent imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been a vocal critic of Putin's government.
The U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) stated, "Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is once again taking action to hold the Government of Russia accountable for its poisoning of Russian opposition politician Aleksey Navalny (Navalny) three years ago on August 20, 2020."
Navalny was arrested upon his return to Russia in January 2021, and on August 4, 2023, a Russian court sentenced him to an additional 19 years in prison on unfounded charges of so-called extremism. The State Department also announced visa restrictions on the individuals designated today.
The OFAC further revealed that it had sanctioned Alexey Alexandrovich Alexandrov, Konstantin Kudryavtsev, Ivan Vladimirovich Osipov, and Vladimir Alexandrovich Panyaev, all of whom were implicated in Navalny's poisoning. These individuals were designated under the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 for their involvement in extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against individuals seeking to expose illegal activity carried out by officials of the Russian Federation.
The majority of those implicated in Navalnys poisoning are believed to have ties with the FSB Criminalistics Institute, an FSB sub-unit originally established under the Soviet-era Committee for State Security (the KGB) as a specialized laboratory. The FSB Criminalistics Institute was designated on August 20, 2021, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13382 for acting for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the FSB.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson, commented on the sanctions, stating, "Today we remind Vladimir Putin and his regime that there are consequences not only for waging a brutal and unprovoked war against Ukraine, but also for violating the human rights of the Russian people.
The assassination attempt against Aleksey Navalny in 2020 represents the Kremlins contempt for human rights, and we will continue to use the authorities at our disposal to hold the Kremlins willing would-be executioners to account."
The State Department also announced visa restrictions against Alexandrov, Kudryavtsev, Osipov, and Panyaev under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for their involvement in a gross violation of human rights. As a result, these individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.
Login