Next up on President Joe Biden’s sanctions list are hundreds of Russian lawmakers in Russia’s lower house of parliament, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The official announcement of the next tranche of sanctions to deter Russia’s continued ”special military operation” in Ukraine is expected to be announced Thursday morning during Biden’s trip to Europe, the Journal reported, citing U.S. officials and internal documents.
More than 300 members of the Russian State Duma will be sanctioned in conjunction with the European Union, the U.S. and the G-7 (the Group of Seven industrialized nations).
Biden is meeting with NATO this week to discuss the next steps in defending allies in Europe amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advancement in Ukraine, including how NATO might work to provide lethal aid and humanitarian support to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Ukraine.
While sanctions have yet to affect Putin’s actions, Russian oligarchs and the Russian economy are bearing the brunt of Biden and the EU’s sanctions to date.
This latest plans for sanctions target 328 lawmakers and Russian elites and 400 individuals all told, sources told the Journal.
There are 450 seats in the Russian State Duma and 170 seats in the Federation Council, the upper chamber.
Targeting the Duma is likely related to the body passing legislation recognizing the Russian-controlled separatist states of Donetsk and Luhansk. It is those contested regions that Putin used to justify what he called a ”special military operation.”
And a Russian State Duma committee this month approved a law to criminalize what it deems ”fake news” about the Russian invasion, including calling it an invasion instead of the Putin-approved ”special military operation.” The penalty includes prison terms of up to 15 years.