Trudeau announces new sanctions against Russia

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new sanctions against 10 individuals and 21 legal entities from Russia during a summit of Ukraine's allies in London , his press service reported.

The publication says the restrictions apply to nine “leaders of paramilitary organizations formed after [PMC] Wagner, one member of the senior Russian military leadership associated with them, nine paramilitary organizations operating in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s African network, and 12 affiliated organizations that are responsible for resource extraction within this network.”

PMC Wagner fighters provided security for various structures and deposits in Mali and other African countries for several years, and also took part in the conflict in Ukraine. Despite Yevgeny Prigozhin's attempted mutiny in 2023, the company's specialists continued to work in Africa. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained that the Malian authorities had established official contacts with Moscow, so Russian instructors continued to work there. Last fall, there were several reports of Wagner fighters being killed in Mali.

In total, more than 3,000 individuals and legal entities were subject to Canadian sanctions. The last time Ottawa imposed restrictions was on February 24, when they included journalist and TV presenter Vladimir Pozner, Deputy Minister of Defense Anna Tsivileva and her husband, Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev, Governor of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako , as well as Olympic champion and President of the Russian Skiing Federation Elena Vyalbe.

Trudeau also said that Canada will continue to support Ukraine and recalled the $20 billion in aid already provided, including military, financial and humanitarian aid. In addition, he noted that Canadian troops are involved in training Ukrainian servicemen and have trained more than 44,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers since 2015.

At a press conference after the summit, Trudeau, when asked about the possibility of sending Canadian troops as peacekeepers to Ukraine, said that all options were being considered.

Moscow condemns aid to Kiev, saying it will not change the outcome of the conflict, but only prolongs it. As for the deployment of a foreign peacekeeping mission, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the deployment of a contingent of NATO countries in Ukraine unacceptable. US President Donald Trump later said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not against the deployment of European troops in Ukraine after the ceasefire, but the latter's press secretary Dmitry Peskov did not confirm this and referred to Lavrov's statement.

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