Washington sanctions Russian central bank chief

The updated blacklist also includes dozens of wives and children of state officials

The US administration has announced new economic sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials, their family members, and on entities in the country, in response to the accession of former Ukrainian regions to Russia.

The updated list of individuals released on Friday includes Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, as well as the family members of top government officials such as former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Among the backlisted are 109 members of Russia’s State Duma and 169 members of the Federation Council.

Additionally, visa restrictions will be imposed on members of the Russian military, Belarusian military officials and proxies operating on behalf of the Kremlin. The Department of Commerce has also added 57 entities to its export controls list.

The extension of what was previously described as unprecedented sanctions comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the inclusion of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye, into Russia.

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