As Novye Izvestia has already reported, Joe Biden at a briefing on the situation in Ukraine announced the imposition of sanctions against the public debt of Russia and the Russian elites. The US President equated Russia's recognition of the self-proclaimed LPR and DPR with an attack on Ukraine. Four blocks of sanctions will be tightened, according to Biden, depending on the actions of Moscow.
One block includes sanctions against Russian financial institutions, banks and against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The sanctions also apply to Russia's sovereign debt. Several tens of billions of VEB dollars blocked in the United States may be confiscated and transferred to the US Treasury in the form of assistance to Ukraine as a victim of aggression, SNBC reports.
Another block concerns the Russian elite and members of their families. The US Treasury imposed sanctions against the children of Kremlin officials, Among them are Denis Bortnikov (son of the head of the FSB Alexander Bortnikov), Pyotr Fradkov (son of ex-premier of the Russian Federation Mikhail Fradkov), Vladimir Kiriyenko (son of deputy head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation Sergey Kiriyenko).
Biden also said that the US is introducing useful blocking sanctions against Russian banks - VEB and Promsvyazbank. They will no longer be able to do business in the United States and will be cut off from the US financial system.
Europe did not stand aside either: in addition to 351 State Duma deputies who voted for the recognition of the LPR and DPR, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, head of the presidential administration Anton Vaino, a group of Russian military men, as well as Vice Speaker of the State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, head of the RT TV channel Margarita Simonyan, TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov. The essence of the sanctions is to freeze the assets of these persons if these assets are found on the territory of the EU, to ban entry into the Union countries and transit through them.
And the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, made such a noteworthy post on social networks: after the imposition of sanctions against 351 State Duma deputies:
“No more shopping in Milan, no more parties in Saint Tropez, no more diamonds in Antwerp. This is the first step."
True, Borrell later deleted his post. However, this caused a strong reaction on Russian social networks:
- That rare case when voters in Russia also support such sanctions against our snickering deputies of the State Duma. Now everyone is in the same boat.
- Trolling from Biden - for his statement, he went to the podium at 2 hours 22 minutes on the 22nd day of the 2nd month of 2022
- Maria Zakharova will not visit Nice. Vladimir Solovyov will not rest on Como. Pyotr Tolstoy will not taste foie gras in Strasbourg. Margarita Simonyan will be left without shopping on Fifth Avenue...
- I invite everyone to Saratov. Alcohol drinks here are no less than in Nice, and they will pour you at any time of the day. There is no foie gras, but there is a bomb shuarma at the station. Well, and shopping - discounts in second-hand stores on weekends, I recommend it.
- Now you can turn on the TV - and with great pleasure to watch how Solovyov will mourn his house on Como. It is possible that very soon we will find out - Russia has always been Ukraine, and owes its existence exclusively to Kiev .