Fresh restrictions have targeted individuals alleged to be “the inner circle” of the Russian president
The UK unveiled on Friday a new round of sanctions on what it describes as the “inner circle” of Russian president Vladimir Putin. The new measures bring the total number of Russians sanctioned by the UK since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict to more than 1,000.
The latest restrictions include assets freezes, travel bans and other transport sanctions. Despite having an official record of “modest assets,” the Russian president “relies on his network of family, childhood friends, and selected elite who have benefited from his rule and in turn support his lifestyle,” the Foreign Office claimed.
The list also includes Russian gymnastics icon and Athens 2004 all-around champion Alina Kabaeva. The retired gymnast is “alleged to have a close personal relationship with Putin,” as the Foreign Office put it. No actual evidence to back up such claims, however, has ever remerged.
Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.
RT (Russia Today) is a state-owned news organization funded by the Russian government. The information provided by this news source is being included by the Libertarian Hub not as an endorsement of the Russian government, but rather because it is being actively censored by Big Tech, Western governments and the corporate press. During times of conflict it is imperative that we have access to both sides of the story so we can form our own opinions, even if both sides are spewing their own propaganda. The censorship of RT, despite likely being a propaganda outfit for the Russian government, reduces our ability to hear one side of the conflict. For that reason, the Libertarian Hub will temporarily republish the RSS feed from RT. Visit https://rt.com
