He claimed that the Russian chief was personally liable for the opposition activist’s demise
The US will unveil a brand new batch of sanctions in opposition to Russia in response to the demise of jailed opposition activist and anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalny, President Joe Biden has stated. He added that the restrictions will goal Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In accordance with Russian jail officers, the 47-year-old Navalny instantly fell unwell on February 16 and was pronounced lifeless the identical day. Though the precise explanation for demise stays unclear, his household, associates and a number of Western leaders are blaming the Kremlin.
Biden met with Navalny’s widow Yulia and daughter Dasha in San Francisco on Thursday, praising the late activist’s “extraordinary braveness and his legacy of preventing in opposition to corruption and for a free and democratic Russia,” based on the White Home.
The president “affirmed that his Administration will announce main new sanctions in opposition to Russia,” the assertion from the White Home learn.
“We’re going to announce sanctions in opposition to Putin, who’s liable for his demise, tomorrow,” the president advised reporters after the assembly. “We aren’t letting up.”
CNN cited a Treasury official as saying that the restrictions anticipated to be formally introduced on Friday will apply to greater than 500 targets. An unnamed State Division official described the upcoming sanctions to ABC Information as “crushing,” whereas one other supply advised the channel that they’ll goal Russia’s protection sector.
Moscow has not commented on the deliberate further sanctions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov beforehand stated that it’s “fully unacceptable” for international leaders to accuse Russia whereas investigation into Navalny’s demise is ongoing. International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has equally blasted the West for making “pre-prepared assumptions.”
Navalny turned well-known within the 2010s by posting investigations to his weblog and YouTube channel, through which he accused high-ranking Russian officers and businessmen of corruption. He unsuccessfully ran for the mayor of Moscow in 2013 and helped manage a number of anti-government protests.
He accused the Kremlin of attempting to poison him with a nerve agent in 2020. The Russian authorities have denied these allegations.
Navalny was put behind bars in 2021 for violating the phrases of his suspended sentence for fraud. Two years later, he was sentenced to 19 years in jail for “extremist actions.” He denied any wrongdoing and insisted that the costs in opposition to him had been politically motivated.
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