Last year, on August 5, 2014, Switzerland and Japan extended their sanctions of Russian companies and individuals. Switzerland added 26 individuals to its list, which mirrored the European Union (EU) sanctions list that went into effect in June 2014.
The Swiss list included a total of 20 companies and 87 individuals, including the head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Aleksander Bortnikov; the Intelligence Service chief, Mikhail Fradkov; Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov; the Deputy head of the Security Council, Rashid Nurgaliyev; and others. Sanctioned individuals and companies were banned from traveling to Switzerland or from transferring any assets from outside the EU to Swiss banks.
Japan’s government approved expanding its sanctions list against Russia, adding 40 individuals and two companies. Japan’s undisclosed list mirrored moves made by the Group of Seven (G-7) that was approved in July 2014. A government statement said “assets held in Japan by those directly involved in Russia’s annexation of Crimea or the instability in eastern Ukraine will be frozen,” adding that Japan would “limit imports of Crimea-made products.”
On August 6, 2014, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced additional economic sanctions against 19 Russian and Ukrainian individuals, and economic sanctions against 22 Russian and Ukrainian groups and economic entities.
“…These sanctions,” Mr. Harper stated, “imposed in close coordination with partners in the United States and Europe, will further increase pressure on those responsible for the crisis in Ukraine.”
Other areas of sanctions included export restrictions on military and dual-use goods destined for Russia, as well as export technologies used in Russia’s gas and oil exploration and extraction.
The Canadian statement added, “…Reports indicate that, despite the criminal downing of MH17, Russia continues to provide logistical support and sophisticated weapons to its agents in eastern Ukraine. Together with our allies and partners, we stand ready to take further actions if the Putin regime’s military aggression continues.”
Other countries that applied sanctions against Russia include: the United States, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Albania, Montenegro, Ukraine, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, Italy, Australia, French Guyana and New Zealand.
The sanctions that were extended by the G-7 in June of this year are set for expiration or renewal on January 31, 2016. Some measures regarding Crimea are set to expire on September 15 of this year, while other sanctions against individuals are valid until March 6, 2016. Georgia, on July 30 of this year, joined the list of countries sanctioning Russia, with measures in parallel with the EU.
Sources: “Switzerland expands sanctions,” “Japan sanctions 40 Russians, 2 companies,” “Harper announces new sanctions,” (RFE/RL, ITAR-TASS, Kyodo, The Washington Post), The Ukrainian Weekly, August 10, 2014.