Canada expands sanctions targeting Russian propaganda pundits

This was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Melanie Joly, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“The Russian regime’s war depends on lies and deception. It muzzles and imprisons its own citizens who dare speak the truth. As the number of Russian human rights abuses continues to increase, Canada is taking measures to counter the propaganda that attempts to excuse them. We see through the lies. Canada stands with Ukraine,” Joly said.

The ministry clarified that the restrictive measures will affect 34 Russian individuals and a legal entity " complicit in the dissemination of Russian disinformation and propaganda.."

The Russian Defense Ministry’s TV channel Zvezda, actors Sergey Bezrukov and Volodymyr Mashkov, TV presenter Tina Kandelaki, and a number of other high-profile figures came under Canadian sanctions.

"These individuals and entity help assist the Russian regime in undermining the principles of state sovereignty and are responsible for spreading false narratives that serve as pretexts for the Russian regime’s unjustifiable war," the Canadian Foreign Ministry emphasized.

The property of all persons subject to sanctions on the territory of Canada shall be frozen, while sanctioned persons are prohibited from entering the country.

It should be recalled that, since the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia, Canada has imposed sanctions against more than 8,600 individuals and legal entities that contributed to the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty. More than 1,400 of them fell under Canadian sanctions post the February 24 invasion.