US announces new sanctions on Russia’s Duma, oligarchs and defense sector

According to a US official on Thursday, the US announced new sanctions on Russia’s state Duma as an entity and its 328 members, reported Reuters. The US also announced new sanctions on Russian oligarchs Herman Gref, the head of Sberbank and Gennady Timchenko, as well as the 17 board members of the Russian financial institution Sovcombank. The 48 largest Russian state-owned defense enterprises that form a part of Russia’s defense industrial base were all also sanctioned, the US official announced. 

According to a US official, the G7 and EU will announce a new initiative aimed at stopping Russia from evading sanctions, reported Reuters. The G7 and EU will engage with other countries to urge them to adopt similar sanctions against Russia and will make clear that any transaction involving gold related to Russia’s central bank is covered by existing sanctions.