Canada has imposed sanctions on Alina Kabaeva, the girlfriend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The former Olympic gymnast is one of 22 close collaborators of the Russian regime who have been added to the list of sanctions for the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The UK sanctioned Kabaeva earlier this month and it was also reported that his name appeared on a draft list of individuals who could be sanctioned by the European Union.
At the time, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly did not rule out a similar move, saying Canada wanted to keep pace with its allies to impose sanctions on people with ties to Putin.
TARGET | Canada announces new round of sanctions against Putin supporters:
Canada announces new round of sanctions against supporters of President Vladimir Putin
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly says this round of sanctions is aimed at banks, oligarchs and Putin’s current partner.
“We need to stifle Putin’s regime. That has been our goal from the beginning, and that is what we will continue to do,” Joly said at a news conference on Tuesday.
He said that while Canada and its allies were not imposing sanctions on the same people and organizations at the same time, their approach is still coordinated.
“What we’re doing is sometimes taking the lead, sometimes we work with the Americans, sometimes we work with the Europeans,” he said.
“At the end of the day, when all the G7 ministers meet, we know that we are working on the same entities and people.”
The latest round of sanctions, which also includes four financial institutions, went into effect last Friday.
Canada has sanctioned more than 1,500 people and entities since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.