On Thursday, January 20, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on four individuals accused of working at the direction of the Russian government to destabilize Ukraine.
This is reported on the department's website.
The sanctions come as world leaders brace for a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine and work with allies to deter the Kremlin from launching an attack.
But the Treasury Department said the new penalties are “separate and distinct” from a range of “high impact” economic and financial sanctions that the U.S. is threatening to impose on Russia if it further invades Ukraine.
The following individuals have been added to OFAC's SDN List:
· Taras Kozak, MP, Opposition Platform - For Life, Medvedchuk's associate, owns 112, ZIK, NewsOneTV channels, which are currently banned in Ukraine. Notably, he is already subject to sanctions from the National Security and Defense Council.
· Oleg Voloshin, MP, Opposition Platform - For Life, the main speaker of the political force on international issues.
· Volodymyr Oliynyk, ex-member of the Yanukovych political party, who has been living in Russia since 2014
· Volodymyr Sivkovich, former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, held this position under Yanukovych. He has also lived in the Russian Federation for a long time.
“The individuals designated today act at the direction of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), an intelligence service sanctioned by the United States, and support Russia-directed influence operations against the United States and its allies and partners. The four individuals have played various roles in Russia’s global influence campaign to destabilize sovereign countries in support of the Kremlin’s political objectives. The United States will continue to take steps, through actions like this one, and in partnership with the Ukrainian government, to identify, expose, and undercut Russia’s destabilization efforts,” the U.S. Treasury said in a statement.
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo once again reaffirmed the U.S. unwavering support for Ukraine.
“The United States is taking action to expose and counter Russia’s dangerous and threatening campaign of influence and disinformation in Ukraine,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “We are committed to taking steps to hold Russia accountable for their destabilizing actions.”