President Barack Obama. AP Photo
MOSCOW鈥擴S President Barack Obama on Thursday announced sanctions against 20 Russian lawmakers and senior government officials, amid the worst crisis between Moscow and the West in years.
The US move freezes assets within American jurisdiction and bars US firms from conducting business with those concerned.
Those targeted are:
- Political and military officials
- Sergei Ivanov, chief of staff to President Vladimir Putin and one of his closest advisers. He is a former defense minister who 鈥� like Putin 鈥� served in the KGB.
- Sergei Naryshkin, chairman of the Duma lower house of parliament, and a member of Putin鈥檚 United Russia party.
- Andrei Fursenko, aide to Putin.
- Alexei Gromov, first deputy chief of staff to the president.
- Vladimir Yakunin, chairman of Russia鈥檚 state-owned railway and a close confidant of Putin.
- Igor Sergun, head of Russia鈥檚 military intelligence service.
- Oligarchs and bankers
- Gennady Timchenko co-founded Gunvor, one of the world鈥檚 largest independent oil and energy trading companies. Forbes puts his personal fortune at $15.3 billion.
- Arkady Rotenberg and Boris Rotenberg, billionaire brothers with business interests in banking, construction, shipping, gas and oil whose close ties to the Kremlin have reportedly seen them handed government contracts without a bidding process.
Yuri Kovalchuk, chairman of Bank Rossiya 鈥� which is also covered by the latest sanctions 鈥� is a member of Putin鈥檚 inner circle. Washington sees him as 鈥減ersonal banker鈥� to senior Russian officials including the president.
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