New Zealand authorities on Monday imposed sanctions against 23 more people for allegedly supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as part of a series of measures taken in retaliation for the Russian military’s actions.
The country’s Foreign Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, has indicated that these measures target «individuals and disinformation networks in the wake of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin’s aggressive acts.»
«Putin continues to use a network of media agencies and influential commentators as part of a propaganda machine to spread false information and lies as part of a concrete narrative about the invasion of Ukraine,» the minister has lamented in a statement.
Thus, she explained that the sanctioned individuals «exert a direct impact on the public perception of Russia’s illegal war.» «Among them are representatives of Russian media and information agencies,» she said.
In this regard, he has accused them of creating a «fog of disinformation that serves Russian interests in its offensive on the sovereign territory of Ukraine.» «This announcement shows our complete rejection of Putin’s narrative and his attempts to manipulate the international community,» he has asserted.
«The latest round of sanctions expands those already applied in May against Russian disinformation actors and now include individuals working for news agencies and other media outlets,» he has pointed out.
The New Zealand government has imposed sanctions against more than 1,200 individuals and entities over the Ukraine war and has also introduced unprecedented trade sanctions, leading to a clear reduction in commercial ties between the parties.
