WATCH: Foreign Affairs minister John Baird announces another round of economic and travel sanctions Friday on 20 Russian and pro-Russia Ukrainians
OTTAWA – Just a day after Vladimir Putin painted a rosy picture of Russia’s finances, Canada moved to put the government further into the red.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced another round of economic and travel sanctions Friday on 20 Russian and pro-Russia Ukrainians, as well as measures to cripple the country’s oil and gas industry.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird made the announcement on behalf of the government.
In a release, Harper reiterated that Canada will not accept Russia’s occupation of Crimea saying: “Since the onset of the conflict, the Putin regime has continuously violated the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”
The prime minister says the sanctions on Russia’s oil exploration will “further define existing debt and equity financing prohibitions.”
It comes as the Russian ruble is reeling on world markets, due to sliding oil prices and economic sanctions imposed by countries like Canada.
Despite the dire state of his country’s economy, Putin insisted Thursday these tough times will pass. “Our economy will overcome the current situation,” he said.
READ MORE: Western sanctions partly to blame for Russian economic crisis: Putin
Here is the list of 20 individuals also facing new sanctions from Canada:
Russian
- Leonid Ivanovich Kalashnikov, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the State Duma.
- Igor Vladimirovich Lebedev, Deputy Speaker, State Duma.
- Oleg Vladimirovich Lebedev, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Relations with CIS Countries.
- Nikolai Vladimirovich Levichev, Deputy Speaker, State Duma.
- Ivan Ivanovich Melnikov, First Deputy Speaker, State Duma.
- Vladimir Stepanovich Nikitin, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Relations with CIS Countries.
- Andrei Nikolaevich Rodkin, Moscow representative of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic.”
- Vladimir Abdualiyevich Vasilyev, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma.
- Viktor Petrovich Vodolatsky, Chairman of the Union of the Russian and Foreign Cossack Forces, and Deputy of the State Duma.
- Yuri Leonidovich Vorobyov, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.
- Svetlana Sergeevna Zhurova, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, State Duma.
Ukrainian
- Oleh Bereza, so-called “Internal Affairs Minister” of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic.”
- Oleksandr Karaman, so-called “Deputy Prime Minister for Social Issues” of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic.”
- Volodimir Kononov, so-called “Defence Minister” of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic.”
- Georgiy L’vovich Muradov, so-called “Deputy Prime Minister” of Crimea and Plenipotentiary Representative of Crimea to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Andriy Yurevich Pinchuk, so-called “State Security Minister” of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic.”
- Miroslav Vladimirovich Rudenko, a Commander of the Donbass People’s Militia.
- Mikhail Sergeyevich Sheremet, so-called “First Deputy Prime Minister
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