The United States has placed six of Crimea's Duma deputies under international sanctions, the U.S. Treasury has confirmed.
Dmitry Belik, Andrey Kozenko, Konstantin Bakharev, Svetlana Savchenko, Ruslan Balbek and Pavel Shperov represent the peninsula in Russia's lower house of parliament.
The sanctions block the politicians' assets in the United States, and bans U.S. companies from entering into business deals with them.
The six officials were found to be complicit in making policies which “threaten the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the U.S. Treasury said.
“The United States does not recognize the illegitimate elections to the Russian State Duma that took place in Crimea,” said John E. Smith, Acting OFAC Director, in a statement on the U.S. Treasury website. “The Treasury will continue to sanction those individuals involved in Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its destabilizing activities in Ukraine.”
The State Duma elections on Sunday, Sept. 18, saw a landslide
victory for the ruling United Russia party, who now hold a
super-majority in Russia's lower house of parliament. United Russia
secured 53.78 percent of the vote in the Crimean city of Sevastopol
and 68.58 percent in the region's capital of Simferopol.
A
number of nations, including Poland, Lithuania and Turkey, have
announced their refusal to recognize the Crimean elections, while
Ukraine refuses to recognize the State Duma in its entirety.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
