Canada announces further sanctions against Russia, Ukraine

Canada Thursday announced new economic sanctions and travel bans against Ukrainian individuals, as well as economic sanctions against Ukrainian entities and a broad range of entities related to various Russian sectors.

"The measures we are announcing today include sanctions against a broad range of entities from Russia's arms industry, as well as from its financial and energy sectors, our unequivocal aim is to further increase economic and political pressure on the Putin regime," said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a statement.

He said that his government is also imposing sanctions on "the armed separatist groups known as The Donetsk People's Republic and The Luhansk People's Republic."

"These groups, with direct support from Russia, have engaged in egregious acts against the armed forces of Ukraine, international monitors deployed to the area, and the civilian population," he added.

The sanction list includes eight Ukrainians, who are allegedly linked to two armed separatist groups known as the Donetsk People' s Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine.

Also targeted are several Russian entities, including Almaz- Antey, Federal State Unitary Enterprise State Research and Production Enterprise, Bazalt, Gazprombank OAO, JSC Concern Radio- Electronic Technologies, JSC Concern Sozvezdie, JSC MIC NPO Mashinostroyenia, Kalashnikov Concern, KBP Instrument Design Bureau, Novatek, and Vnesheconom bank.

Earlier this week, the Canadian government signaled its intention to broaden the range of entities sanctioned.

In addition to instituting prohibitions on dealings with respect to entities related to Russia's arms industry, Harper said that these substantively new measures impose restrictions on the issuance of new financing for the designated energy and financial entities.

"As we have seen with the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 last week, the Putin regime's failure to end its support to armed separatist groups constitutes a very real threat to international peace and security," added the Canadian prime minister.

After the Ukrainian crisis, the Canada government has suspended almost all economic and military exchanges and imposed economic sanctions and travel ban against nearly 100 Russians.