Canada has imposed sanctions on Alexander Lebedev, a former KGB agent who bought the Evening Standard and Independent a little over a decade ago.
The Russian billionaire was named in a new wave of sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s regime, announced on Friday, which included a ban on imports of Russian vodka, diamonds and caviar, according to Globe and Mail.
Lebedev, whose ties to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are well documented, has not been sanctioned by the United Kingdom.
The Canadian government said the ban on luxury goods and the addition of 14 oligarchs and aides to the Russian president were in line with similar measures imposed by allies such as the United States and the EU and would “help mitigate the potential of Russian oligarchs to circumvent restrictions on other luxury markets. “
The package of sanctions announced by Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie covers goods worth $ 75.7 million (£ 47 million) in 2021. It also bans the export of jewelry, art and kitchen utensils to Russia and restricts exports of “Goods that could be used in the production and manufacture of weapons”.
“The Putin regime must and will be held accountable for its unjustified actions,” Jolie said. “Canada, along with our allies, will be ruthless in our efforts to maintain pressure on the Russian regime until it is no longer able to wage war. We are steadfast in our support for Ukraine and its people. “
Lebedev financed the Russian opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta. His son Evgeni owns the Evening Standard and the Independent and was appointed to the House of Lords in 2020, despite concerns expressed by MI5. He issued a statement in the Standard in February urging Putin to end the war.
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According to Globe and Mail, other figures Canada has recently sanctioned include Gleb Frank, a leading owner of a Russian fishing company; his father, Sergei Frank, former Minister of Transport and former CEO of the Russian shipping company Sovcomflot; and Sergei Frank’s wife, Ksenia Frank, daughter of Gennady Timchenko, an oligarch and Putin aide.
David Davidovich, a close associate of Roman Abramovich, who was forced to sell Chelsea after being placed under sanctions in Britain, was also sanctioned.
The new wave of sanctions came after negotiations between the G7 and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Schmihal in Germany.
To date, Canada has sanctioned more than 1,000 individuals and legal entities from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
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