US sanctions 500 Russia-linked targets ahead of Ukraine war anniversary | Russia-Ukraine war News [Video]

The United States has issued sanctions on more than 500 Russian-linked targets in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago and the death in prison of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

Washington has also imposed new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing support to Russia and take action to further reduce Russia’s energy revenues, US President Joe Biden said on Friday.

The entities and sectors targeted include Russia’s Mir payment system, Russian financial institutions and its military industrial base, sanctions evasion, and future energy production, and will also include officials believed to be involved in the death of Navalny, the Treasury and State departments said.

The measures represent the largest single tranche of penalties since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and come on the back of a series of new arrests and indictments that the US Department of Justice announced on Thursday, targeting Russian businessmen, including the head of state-owned …