U.S. hits Putin allies, press secretary with new sanctions

The Biden administration ordered new sanctions blocking Russian business oligarchs and others in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle on March 4 in response to Russian forces’ fierce pummeling of Ukraine.

Those targeted by the new sanctions include Mr. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, and Alisher Burhanovich Usmanov, one of Russia’s wealthiest individuals and a close ally of Mr. Putin.

The U.S. State Department also announced it was imposing visa bans on 19 Russian oligarchs and dozens of their family members and close associates.

“The goal was to maximise impact on Mr. Putin and Russia and minimise the harm on us and our allies and friends around the world,” Mr. Biden said as he noted the new sanctions at the start of a meeting with his Cabinet and Vice-President Kamala Harris.

The White House said the oligarchs and dozens of their family members will be cut off from the U.S. financial system.

Their assets in the United States will be frozen and their property will be blocked from use.

The White House described Mr. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, as ‘a top purveyor of Putin’s propaganda.” The property of Mr. Usmanov and the others will be blocked from use in the United States and by Americans. His assets include his superyacht, one of the world’s largest, that was just seized by Germany.