The Trump administration targets Putin's inner circle with new Russia sanctions

Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a glass of champagne during a ceremony to receive credentials from foreign ambassadors at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 3, 2017.

• The US slapped new sanctions on seven Russian oligarchs, 17 senior Russian government officials, and more than a dozen Russian entities on Friday.
• The US Treasury Department cited Russia's aggression toward Ukraine, annexation of Crimea, its aid to the Syrian regime, and its "malicious" cyber activities around the globe as reasons for imposing new sanctions.
• The measures come after the US announced sanctions against 19 Russian nationals and five entities last month in retaliation for Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

The US Treasury slapped new sanctions on seven Russian oligarchs and 17 senior Russian government officials on Friday, citing Russia's annexation of Crime and aggression toward Ukraine, its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and its malicious cyber activities around the globe.

"Russian oligarchs and elites who profit from this corrupt system will no longer be insulated from the consequences of their government's destabilizing activities," Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement.

The latest sanctions target some of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies - like his son-in-law Kirill Shamalov; the aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska; and Russian Federation Council member and portfolio investor Suleiman Kerimov; Russian banker and politician Alexander Torshin; and energy tycoon Viktor Vekselberg.

The new sanctions also target 12 companies owned by the newly sanctioned oligarchs, as well as the Russian state-owned weapons company Rosoboroneksport, which has longtime ties to the Syrian government that stretch back over a decade. The Treasury also sanctioned the Russian Financial Corporation Bank (RFC Bank), which is owned by Rosoboroneksport.

As a result of the sanctions, the 17 senior Russian government officials will have their assets frozen, and the Treasury added that non-US persons "could face sanctions for knowingly facilitating significant transactions for or on behalf of the individuals or entities blocked today."

Friday's measures come after the Trump administration slapped sanctions last month on 19 Russian nationals and five Russian entities, including those charged by the special counsel Robert Mueller with conspiring to interfere in the 2016 US election by launching a social media influence campaign to sway US voters in favor of candidate Donald Trump.

The US's actions come after Russia was accused of ordering the poisoning of a former Russian spy in the UK in March.