New penalties

U.S. sanctions for treatment of Navalny

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced sanctions against seven Russian officials and 14 businesses over the treatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, directly blaming Moscow for poisoning the Kremlin critic.

The punitive measures from the United States come as the European Union slapped its own sanctions against four senior Russian officials, including imposing travel bans and freezing assets.

“The United States has consistently characterized the legal offensive against Mr. Navalny as politically motivated, an assessment shared by our G-7 partners and the European Court of Human Rights. We reiterate our call for the Russian government to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Navalny,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in poisoning Navalny, 44, who was left in a coma for weeks at a Berlin hospital after the August nerve-agent attack.

When the opposition leader returned to Russia in January, he was promptly arrested and charged with violating his parole.

He was sentenced last month to more than two years in prison.

President Biden vowed to take a tougher stance on Russia when he came into office, hoping to break from his predecessor, Donald Trump, who was often criticized for being too friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite numerous protests and international calls for Navalny’s release on human rights grounds, the politician has been sent to a penal colony.

The group of Russian officials blacklisted by the U.S. — including Igor Krasnov, the country’s prosecutor general — will be blocked from making financial transactions with Americans, according to the Treasury Department.

“The Kremlin’s use of chemical weapons to silence a political opponent and intimidate others demonstrates its flagrant disregard for international norms,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.