Australia imposes ban on Russian journalists, 'propagandist' officials & legal entities

As Moscow's war in Ukraine shows no sign of cessation, Australia on Wednesday slapped Moscow with fresh sanctions, blacklisting at least eight Russian journalists and propagandists in the process. Sanctions were also imposed on private organisations and legal entities, including museum directors and interim ministers of Russia. In a statement by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), authorities listed the names of sanctioned journalists -- Rossiya Segodnya Director General Dmitry Kiselev and RT Director General Alexey Nikolov, journalist Sergey Brilev.

Others affected by the sanctions include Gazprom Media Holding Director General Alexander Zharov, TV host Mikhail Leontyev, and military correspondents Yevgeny Poddubny, Alexander Kots, and Dmitry Steshin. Sanctions were also imposed on Russian private military company, Wagner.  Separately, Canberra banned Victory Museum Director Alexander Shkolnik, acting emergencies minister Alexander Chupriyan, first deputy director of Russia’s FSB security service Sergey Korolev and first deputy head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Nikolay Bogdanovsky. Australia also blacklisted two Belarusian firms Minotor service- a manufacturer of tracked vehicles and the Radar Construction Bureau.

Australia sanctions Russia's 14 state-owned firms

In the previous round of sanctions on April 22, Australia had targetted 144 Russian officials and their kin. The new list of penalties included the names of the daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Particularly, the sanctions were directed at the Russian senators who approved the unilateral identification of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions on February 22.

Speaking on the occasion, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne had stated that the sanctioned individuals had "benefited" from Putin's regime. Three individuals penalised by Canberra were also sanctioned by "like-minded partners." Earlier in April, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's administration slapped targetted financial sanctions on 14 Russian state-owned firms. The companies are significant to Russian economic interests. The enterprises included defence-related transportation company Kamaz, shipping firms SEVMASH and United shipbuilding corp. Sanctions were also levied on Russian Railways and Russoelectronics, which account for 80% of electronic products available in Russia.

(Image: AP)