Canada Announces Fresh Sanctions Against Russia Over Navalny's Death

Canada on Sunday imposed fresh sanctions on Russia for the role in the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.  In the latest trance of sanctions Canada targeted at least six senior officials and high ranking employee of Russian judicial and correctional services. Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly confirmed the sanctions in a statement.

The new set of sanction were in addition to the previous ones imposed under the Special Economic Measures Act in response to Russia’s violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Canada has also targeted the financial and energy sectors of Russia to cripple its war machine. The new sanctions were announced in coordination with the US and the UK.

“Nearly 2 years after it began, President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has gone on too long. These sanctions focus on areas that impact the Russian government’s ability to continue its illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine,” the Canadian foreign ministry said.

Navalny ‘murdered’ by Russia's Putin: Spokesperson 

Navalny’s death was confirmed by his team of lawyers in exile, while a spokesperson said that he was “murdered” by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. “Putin killed Alexei Navalny,” Kira Yarmysh said on social media, citing a note that was handed to Navalny’s mother and naming unidentified source from the prison service as making such claims. A note handed to Navalny's mother “stated that he died at 2:17 p.m. local time Friday,” the spokesperson said.

Navalny was detained by Russia’s FSB officers in 2021 on the plane after he arrived in Moscow from Germany, where he was recovering from a poisoning attack from the Novichok nerve agent that he said was an assassination attempt on him by Moscow. From behind the bars, pro-Western Navalny incited the Russians to keep resisting and protesting to overthrow the Russian government. He called Russian President Putin and other government leaders a “gang of traitors, thieves and scoundrels who have seized power.” He mobilised the citizens to take to the streets and “not lose the will to resist” to the government. 

His wife, Yulia Navalny appeared at Germany’s Munich Security Conference holding Putin responsible for her husband’s death whilst Navalny’s team of lawyers labelled his death as “murder” by Kremlin without evidence. Press secretary for the now deceased Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, confirming the death of the prominent Russian opposition leader, said on Saturday that he was “murdered” by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. “Putin killed Alexei Navalny,” Kira Yarmysh said, citing a note that was handed to Navalny’s mother and naming an unidentified source from the prison service as making such claims. A note handed to Navalny's mother “stated that he died at 2:17 p.m. local time Friday,” the spokesperson said. Navalny's funeral service was held on March 2.