Canada imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia on Friday that includes actions against five prominent oligarchs, including Roman Abramovich, as well as 32 organizations and companies associated with the Russian Defense Ministry.
The sanctions were announced in Warsaw by Justin Trudeau, shortly before the Canadian Prime Minister’s return to Canada after a five-day tour of Europe, during which he visited the United Kingdom, Latvia, Germany and in Poland, to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Canada said the sanctions against the five “regime associates” stemmed from their being “accomplices” in the invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich, known for owning English football club Chelsea, owns 28% of British mining and steel company Evraz, which operates in Canada.
From Warsaw, Trudeau justified the sanctions against oligarchs like Abramovich and the Evraz company, which employs 1,700 people in Western Canada, so that “they cannot benefit from economic activities” in the North American country.
Trudeau added that the Canadian government will “watch carefully” to prevent the sanctions from affecting Canadian workers.
Canadian sanctions against Abramovich come 24 hours after the UK announced similar measures against the Russian oligarch.
Since Russia invaded the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions against 542 individuals and 136 Russian entities.
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