Canadian authorities on Friday included 35 more individuals and six other companies sympathetic to the Russian government as a response measure to the invasion of Ukraine, which began in late February, more than eight months ago.
«Today we are adding 35 more people to this list, including influential leaders of the state energy company Gazprom, and imposing sanctions on six companies in the energy sector,» Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
Among the most prominent names in this new round of sanctions are Gazprom board chairman Viktor Zubkov, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov and his Energy counterpart Nikolai Shulginov, according to TASS.
At the corporate level, Ottawa has included in its ‘black list’ the oil company Lukoil, the group specialized in coal mining Sibuglemet, the railway transport company Transoil, or the Russian insurance company SOGAZ.
«Canada continues to support Ukraine. We stand together in support of freedom, democracy and justice. And we are united against Russian aggression,» Trudeau said on his social networks, where he added that Canada will soon offer government-backed Ukrainian sovereign debt.
He also reported the allocation of funds to help Ukrainians to prepare for the harsh winter in Eastern Europe and that this year could be worse due to Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
«As the Russian regime continues its unjustified and unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine, we will continue to support the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people,» the Canadian prime minister concluded.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Ottawa and Trudeau, adding that putting Ukrainian sovereign bonds on the market will allow all Canadians to «contribute to the victory» of Ukraine.
