US tightens sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

The Obama administration is imposing additional sanctions on more than two-dozen people or entities to strengthen existing restrictions in connection to Russian actions in Ukraine.

Under four separate executive orders, the Treasury Department on Wednesday designated and identified former officials and close associates of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s regime, people working in Russia’s defense sector and entities in Crimea, which the U.S. says Russia illegally annexed last year.

{mosads}John E. Smith, the director of the Treasury office that issued the sanctions, said in a statement that these actions underscore the Obama administration’s effort to “maintain pressure on Russia for violating international law and fueling the conflict in eastern Ukraine.”

“Our message is clear: we will continue to act to ensure the effectiveness of our sanctions, which will not be rolled back until the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented,” Smith said.

Fifteen people and entities that work in the arms or related sectors in Russia were sanctioned because they’ve circumvented existing sanctions and have been involved in undermining the democratic process in Ukraine, according to the Treasury Department.

Four former officials in the Yanokovych regime were sanctioned, as well as five port operators in Crimea and one sea ferry operator, because they operate in that region. Existing sanctions ban people from the U.S. and European Union from trading or investing in Crimea.

The Treasury Department also identified a number of subsidiaries of Russian state-run bank Vnesheconomnbank and Russian-run oil company Rosneft — both of which the U.S. sanctioned a year ago.