The United States imposed sanctions against the managers of one of the largest Russian business groups

The US Treasury Department on Friday imposed financial sanctions on four individuals on the board of Alfa Group, one of Russia’s largest business conglomerates, which includes the country’s largest private bank.

In a statement, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the sanctions are part of an ongoing effort to place restrictions on the Russian economy and its major players in response to last year’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war.

“Russian millionaire elites must abandon the idea that they can do business as usual while the Kremlin [Presidência russa] waging war against the Ukrainian people,” said Adeyemo.

Russian citizens Aven Petr Olegovich, Fridman Mikhail Maratovich, Khan German Borisovich and Kuzmichev Alexey Viktorovich fell under the sanctions of the US Treasury (an analogue of the Ministry of Finance).

Four people have previously been sanctioned by Australia, Canada, the European Union (EU), New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Friedman is one of the founders of Alfa Group and is considered one of the richest tycoons in Russia.

Alfa Group has interests in the oil and gas and financial sectors.

Alfa Bank, owned by the group and considered Russia’s largest non-state bank, came under EU sanctions in March 2022, and Fridman later left management to try to help the bank circumvent the sanctions.

Aven headed Alfa-Bank until March 2022, but, like Fridman, left the administration after EU sanctions.

Sanctions against individuals block access to their assets and financial interests in the United States of America (USA).

Adeyemo added that the US-led international coalition to support Ukraine in the face of a Russian invasion “will continue to hold accountable those who allow this unjustified and unprovoked invasion.”

Also today, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, which is engaged in the technological sphere, fell under sanctions.

This structure will help Russia neutralize other sanctions stemming from the war, the Finance Ministry said.

The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine caused, according to the latest UN data, the worst migration crisis in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).

The Russian invasion, justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security, was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing political and economic sanctions on Russia.