The US Treasury has banned transactions with the Russian Central Bank, the Treasury and the National Wealth Fund (NWF). This was reported on Monday, February 28, on the website of the US Department.
“The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury (OFAC) has prohibited persons from the United States from participating in transactions with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of the Treasury of the Russian Federation. This action effectively immobilizes any assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation located in the United States or in the hands of persons from the United States, wherever located, ”the message says.
The US agency recalled that last week, at the direction of US President Joe Biden, OFAC imposed sanctions against the key Russian sovereign wealth fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is related to the United States financial system and its chief executive officer, CEO Kirill Dmitriev.
In addition, the report notes that restrictive measures will prevent the Central Bank of Russia from using its international reserves to undermine the impact of US sanctions. Also, the United States authorities intend to tighten restrictions against Belarus in the event of active support from her side of Russia’s operation in Ukraine.
Earlier, on February 24, the US Treasury reported that the head of state imposed sanctions against five Russian banks, including Gazprombank, Sovcombank, Novikombank, Otkritie Bank and Alfa-Bank. On the same day, Biden said he would limit Russia’s ability to trade in hard currency. He added that sanctions would limit Russia’s ability to be part of the global economy and stop opportunities for funding and developing the Russian military.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of an operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass. After that, Zelensky accused Russia of hitting the country’s military infrastructure and introduced martial law throughout Ukraine. He also said that Kyiv is breaking off diplomatic relations with Moscow and withdrawing its diplomats from the embassy.
The situation in Donbass escalated on February 17, 2022. In the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces was reported, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.
On February 21, Pushilin and Pasechnik asked Putin to recognize the independence of the republics. The corresponding decrees were signed in the evening of the same day. In the presence of the leaders of the republics, the President of the Russian Federation also signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and assistance.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been conducting a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kyiv blames Moscow for the current situation.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
