Australia has hit 14 more Russian officials with sanctions, accusing them of silencing dissent and backing Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the new penalties were part of Canberra’s push to hold Russia to account for its human rights abuses and aggression.
“The human rights situation in Russia continues to deteriorate with violent crackdowns aimed at suppressing human rights and anti-war advocacy,” Wong said on Sept. 3.
“We condemn Russia’s intimidation and reprisals against civil society and human rights defenders, and reiterate our call for Russia to comply with its international human rights obligations.”
The latest move builds on earlier measures. Since 2022, Australia has introduced three sanction packages against Russian figures tied to the poisoning, mistreatment, and death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Alongside the new sanctions, Wong will meet Yulia Navalnaya—Navalny’s widow and now a leading figure in Russia’s pro-democracy movement.Navalny, Russia’s most prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, collapsed and died in a Siberian prison in February 2024. He was 47.
