New Zealand imposes sanctions on Russia, pledges more to come

By Islamuddin Sajid

ANKARA (AA) - New Zealand on Friday imposed sanctions on top Russian officials and entities, with the pledge of further action in the days to come.

In a statement, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the first tranche of sanctions under a new law was enacted last night.

Under the sanctions, the country imposed a travel ban on 364 additional Russian political and military officials, including President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and other top officials, and freezing their assets.

"This first tranche of sanctions designates an additional 364 political and military individuals to our travel ban list, and places sanctions on Russian Leader Vladimir Putin and the 12 members of his Security Council, one bank, and 18 other entities," explained Mahuta.

“The world is united against Putin’s actions in Ukraine, and only one week after passing historic legislation, we are joining the international community in applying our first targeted sanctions,” she added.

Last week, the New Zealand Parliament passed legislation that empowered the government to target Russia with new sanctions.

"The sanctions prevent New Zealand individuals, assets, and financial institutions from having dealings with those designated, and prohibits their vessels and aircraft entering New Zealand," said Mahuta.

"This is just the start, with more sanctions coming over the next few weeks," she warned.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial restrictions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 780 civilians have been killed and 1,252 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, while noting that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.

More than 3.16 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency.