Alexei Navalny’s death: White House to impose more sanctions on Russia

White House is planning to impose more sanctions on Russia following the death of high-profile Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny last week inside prison. US National Security Spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday (Feb 20) said Russian President Vladimir Putin was responsible for Navalny’s death.

“Whatever story the Russian government decides to tell the world, it’s clear that President Putin and his government are responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death,” Kirby said.

“In response, at President Biden’s direction, we will be announcing a major sanctions package on Friday of this week,” he added.

The US has already imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia, especially after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Kirby said new sanctions will further strengthen efforts to damage the Russian economy. He added that the details of the sanctions will be released on Friday (Feb 23).

Russia economy still expanding

Russia is already the world’s most-sanctioned nation in the world. According to castellum.ai, the US and allies have imposed over 19,000 sanctions on Russia since 2014.

The US alone has imposed above 4,500 sanctions during this period. In terms of most sanctions imposed, Russia is followed by Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Belarus.

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However, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its latest report raised Russia’s growth outlook. Russia’s Gross domestic product is forecast to rise 2.6 per cent in 2024, more than double the pace the IMF predicted as recently as October, and slightly slower than the 3 per cent expansion estimated for 2023.

Navalny’s wife holds Putin responsible

Meanwhile, Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya has said Putin is responsible for her husband’s death.

Russia’s prison authorities said Navalny lost consciousness after going for a walk and could not be resuscitated. The Russian government said Monday it was investigating Navalny’s cause of death.

Watch: Alexei Navalny death: Navalny’s widow accuses Putin of killing him and vows to continue his work

Kirby on Tuesday also used the opportunity to throw more weight behind war-torn Ukraine.

“One of the most powerful things that we can do right now to stand up to Vladimir Putin, of course, is to again, pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill and support Ukraine,” Kirby said.

(With inputs from agencies)