Australia expands sanctions targeting Russian officials, companies, and prominent figures

Australia has announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, targeting journalists, executives of major corporations, and the well-known Russian artist Yaroslav Dronov, also known by his stage name Shaman. This update was confirmed by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

“Today, Australia imposed another package of sanctions designed to further weaken Russia’s military economy,” Wong stated, Caliber.Az reports via TASS.

The new measures include financial restrictions and travel bans for 37 individuals and seven organisations. These sanctions primarily target companies involved in Russia’s defence, energy, transport, and insurance sectors, as well as individuals responsible for spreading Russian propaganda.

According to information provided to TASS by the Australian Foreign Ministry, the list of sanctioned individuals includes board members of prominent Russian entities such as Gazprom Neft, Gazprombank (GPB), the energy company RusHydro, and the Sovcomflot group. The sanctions also cover Airat Shaimiev, CEO of Tatavtodor, and Rustam Minnikhanov, the head of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Additionally, restrictions were placed on cultural and media figures such as Yaroslav Dronov (aka Shaman), the creator of the Life project and CEO of the News Media publishing house, Aram Gabrelyanov, actor Vyacheslav Manucharov, Anton Zlatopolsky, deputy CEO of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK), and Alexei Goreslavsky, CEO of the Internet Development Institute (IRI).

Among the companies hit by sanctions are the Russian insurance firm Soglasie, AO Mikron, a manufacturer of processors known as Baikal Electronics, along with several other organisations.

Since March 2014, the Australian government has introduced anti-Russian sanctions over 30 times. The current sanctions list includes more than 1,200 individuals and over 300 companies from Russia and Belarus.

Australia has fully cut trade relations with Russia, frozen the assets of blacklisted persons, and barred Australian entities from conducting business with sanctioned companies. The measures prohibit the export of weapons and completely block Russian banks from accessing Australian capital markets. 

Moreover, Australia has imposed a total ban on exporting goods and services used in the exploration and extraction of oil, gas, and minerals to Russia.

By Tamilla Hasanova