[The Epoch Times, March 13, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Zhou Xing in Toronto reported) Canada last weekend announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, involving five top business leaders, including high-profile oligarch Roman Abu Roman Abramovich.
The five business figures were added to a list of those who helped Putin wage war on Ukraine, CBC reported. The federal government also sanctioned 32 organizations and companies linked to Russia’s military and security services, including Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the new sanctions on the last day of his European tour. He said Russian elites would be banned from doing business in Canada and their assets would be frozen.
Abramovich is the owner of English football club Chelsea and also holds a 28% stake in steel company Evraz. The company has operations in Western Canada.
Trudeau said the federal government was mindful of the possible impact of the sanctions, but remained confident the move would not affect the 1,700 Evraz employees in Regina.
“Sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs like Abramovich are aimed directly at them, preventing them from benefiting from Canadian economic activity — not benefiting from the hard work of Canadians.” Trudeau in Warsaw Said before boarding the flight home.
The U.K. announced sanctions on Abramović last Thursday on the grounds that “Abramović, through Evraz PLC, is or has been involved in destabilizing Ukraine, undermining and threatening Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently said that those who support an invasion of Ukraine “cannot have a safe haven”.
However, Evraz issued a statement saying that Abramovich had no effective control over the company. Because of his status as a minority shareholder, he has no power to appoint or remove a majority of the board. ◇#
Responsible editor: Wenfeng