New Zealand bans import of Russian caviar and vodka

This was stated by New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaya Mahuta. She pointed out that the country's sanctions list has also been expanded by 24 people who are associated with the accession of new territories to the Russian Federation.

The sanctions affected the oil and gas sector, and also introduced a ban on the supply of New Zealand wine and seafood to Russia.

According to Kommersant , sanctions have been imposed against Russian billionaire Alexander Abramov, his family and the company of the metallurgical giant Evraz.

Abramov is said to own a $50 million mansion in Northland, New Zealand.

Also under the sanctions were the chairman of the board of Gazprombank Andrey Akimov, the former president of LUKOIL Vagit Alekperov, the chairman of Vnesheconombank Sergey Gorkov, the head of the board of NOVATEK Leonid Mikhelson, the president of Norilsk Nickel Vladimir Potanin and others.

Billionaire Abramov was banned from entering the country, as were his planes and ships. The New Zealand authorities noted that in this case, Abramov's assets would not be frozen. By such actions, the country's authorities hope to force the billionaire to oppose the military operation of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine.

Earlier, billionaire Abramov was sanctioned by Australia, and Evraz was blacklisted in the UK. Disagreeing with the decision of the Australian authorities, Abramov filed a lawsuit against Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, saying that the sanctions had damaged his reputation.

Evraz Group, founded by Abramov, is a large international vertically integrated steel and mining company. Its assets are located in the Russian Federation, USA, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan. The headquarters is located in London. Evraz is one of the largest steel producers in the world.