Russia-Ukraine conflict: US issues new sanctions on Russia, targeting oligarch, cellist, yachts linked to Vladimir Putin

The US has issued a new set of sanctions this week on Russia as Washington is determined to pressure Moscow into ending the war. The new set of sanctions now target an oligarch, a cellist, and several yachts linked to Vladimir Putin.

In a report by Reuters, the administration of US President Joe Biden issued a new set of sanctions Thursday to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine that continues to this day.

Among the targets is an oligarch who owns a major steel producer, a cellist that is believed to act as a middleman for Putin, and several yachts tied to the Russian dictator.

Washington, along with other countries, has imposed an unprecedented amount of sanctions on Russia since it invaded Ukraine back in February. The US is expected to impose more sanctions as part of its pressure campaign on Russia.

The US Treasury Department Thursday identified two ships - the Russian-flagged Graceful and the Cayman Islands-flagged Olympia - as property that Putin has an interest in.

Putin was blacklisted shortly after declaring a “military operation” in Ukraine. Putin has also taken several trips on the yachts, including one on the Black Sea with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

The Treasury also identified two other yachts: the Shellest and Nega, that were used by Putin and owned by a sanctioned Russian company.

The US agency also targeted a Monaco-based firm Imperial Yachts, for allowing superyacht owners, including Russian oligarchs, to charter their boats when they are not using them, including an aviation company that the Treasury said was involved in a scheme to transfer aircraft to an offshore company to avoid sanctions.

A previous report by Reuters reveals that the US is also planning to sell four MQ-1C Gray Eagle Drones to Ukraine. Such drones could be fitted with up to eight Hellfire missiles and can fly up to more than 30 hours, depending on the mission. The drone can also collect large amounts of data for intelligence purposes.

However, the source said the sale of such drones could still be blocked by Congress, as well as the last-minute reversal of the policy. The source said the Pentagon has been reviewing the proposal for several weeks.