(NewsNation Now) — In his State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden highlighted a Western alliance that has worked to cripple Russia’s economy through sanctions.
The European Union announced sanctions against Belarus for their efforts in helping Russia.
The U.S. Justice Department says it will crack down on Russian oligarchs and anyone else who violates the sweeping sanctions imposed by the Biden administration in response to the war against Ukraine.
Here is what we know:
- 162 different Russian-based individuals or entities have been sanctioned in just the U.S.
- 897 different sanctions have been imposed since the initial invasion of Crimea in 2014.
- 34 different nations have issued sanctions themselves or as a part of the EU.
- These sanctions target specific individuals, Russian banks, Russia’s energy sector and even Russian planes and boats.
One of the hefty sanctions imposed by the EU is the limit on selling so-called golden passports, which allow Russian oligarchs to become dual citizens of other countries.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday announced the creation of Task Force KleptoCapture, a team of federal agents and prosecutors responsible for investigating and prosecuting any violations of new and future sanctions.
That includes seizing the assets belonging to oligarchs and others who violate the sanctions, and thwarting any efforts to use cryptocurrency to get around sanctions.
Garland said in a statement announcing the sanctions that the Justice Department “will leave no stone unturned” in investigating and prosecuting “those whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue this unjust war.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
