Sanctions at Dawn

The US Strikes Back Over Navalny and Ukraine

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. is gearing up to unveil a substantial set of sanctions against Russia this coming Friday. This move comes in the wake of the tragic death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, now marking its second year. Speaking with journalists as he set off for California, Biden kept the cards close to his chest, opting not to divulge the specifics of the upcoming sanctions. However, Jake Sullivan, the White House's national security adviser, shed some light on the matter, indicating that the sanctions will cast a wide net, targeting Russia's defense and industrial sectors, as well as key revenue streams for the country's economy.

John Kirby, a spokesperson for national security at the White House, elaborated that the sanctions aim to hold Russia accountable for Navalny's death and its actions throughout the Ukraine conflict. It was revealed by a senior U.S. official that the sanctions were initially planned to coincide with the second anniversary of the Ukraine war. However, in light of Navalny's demise, these measures are being revisited and expanded. Brian Nelson, the Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, is currently in Europe discussing the sanctions in response to Navalny's death, with stops in Germany, Belgium, and France. His discussions also cover the U.S.'s capability to target entities financing Russia's war efforts, even if they are located in third countries, signaling an aggressive stance on sanction evasion.

The U.S. has previously enacted a broad spectrum of sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, targeting individuals close to the Kremlin, including President Vladimir Putin, various officials, and major banks. Additionally, sanctions were imposed in relation to the 2020 poisoning and subsequent imprisonment of Navalny, pinpointing individuals associated with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) among others.

Navalny, a staunch critic of Putin, met an untimely death last Friday under mysterious circumstances after collapsing at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony located in the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a lengthy sentence, as reported by the prison service. The U.S., through Kirby's words, is pressing Russia for "complete transparency" regarding the circumstances of Navalny's death, with Biden directly attributing the blame to Putin and his administration. Despite efforts by the U.S. embassy in Moscow to unearth more details about Navalny's death, Kirby expressed skepticism regarding the reliability of any information that might be provided by the Russian government.