Ottawa’s new round of sanctions on Russians includes celebrities, Wagner Group heads
By The Canadian Press on July 20, 2023.
OTTAWA – Canada is sanctioning more Russians whom Ottawa accuses of supporting Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and mercenary violence in Africa. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has announced new sanctions against 38 individuals and 25 entities. The list has a focus on the paramilitary Wagner Group, which has sent combatants to Ukraine and across Africa. The sanctions also target Russia’s nuclear, drone and cultural industries, in response to that country’s attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear and cultural sites. The people sanctioned, which include actors and singers, cannot have business dealings with Canadians or travel to Canada. The Conservatives have called on Ottawa to list the Wagner Group as a terrorist organization, but bureaucrats testified in June that doing so might make it harder to prosecute Russia for war crimes. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2023. 8-7
