Biden says latest sanctions will ensure Putin 'pays a price' following Navalny's death
The latest round of US sanctions represent the largest number to be unveiled in one fell swoop since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, and has been complemented by more penalties imposed by the UK and European Union. Correspondent Robert Moore reports
US president Joe Biden says hundreds of fresh sanctions imposed by the United States against Russia will ensure Vladimir Putin "pays a price for his aggression abroad and repression at home".
Mr Biden hit Russia with more than 500 sanctions on Friday, having pledged a response to his Russian counterpart's "brutal war of conquest", and in the wake of prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's death.
"These sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny's imprisonment as well as Russia's financial sector, defence industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents," President Biden said in a statement.
The announcement is the largest single-day tranche of sanctions since the war began and is part of the administration's ongoing efforts to limit the Kremlin's revenues.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, with the war about to enter its third year on Saturday.
After meeting with Navalny's wife and daughter, President Biden said the sanctions would be "against Putin, who is responsible for his death".
It comes as Russian authorities delivered a "three hour" ultimatum to Navalny's mother, stating she could either bury her son in secret or he would be buried in a colony.
According to a family spokeswoman, Lyudmila Navalnaya refused to negotiate because "they do not have the authority to decide how and where she should bury her son".
Putin took part in a wreath laying ceremony in Moscow on Friday to mark the Soviet Union's victory against Nazi Germany's invasion in the second world war.
Earlier this week, the US carried out a series of new arrests and indictments against Russian businessmen in five separate federal cases after violations of sanctions.
In the UK, Russia's war machine was slapped with 50 new sanctions by the government in a crack down on those supplying Putin's armoury with munitions, such as rocket launch systems, missiles and explosives.
These new sanctions also target key sources of Russian revenue, including metals, diamonds, and the energy trade.
The government claims that sanctions on Russia have deprived the country of an estimated $400 billion (£315 billion).
The conflict has largely grinded to a stalemate and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly urged the West to provide more weapons or risk emboldening Russia's forces.
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