Who have the US and EU put on their Russian sanctions hit lists (and why)?

Further sanctions against Russia came in today, and it's safe to say that if you are in President Putin's inner circle you've probably been affected. 

 

A number of companies – including Gazprom – have also been targeted by the punitive measures for the first time. 

 

Here is our round up of who the combined US and EU sanctions are hitting: 

 

Gennady Timchenko (US sanctions only) – one of Russia's richest men, Timchenko founded commodities trader Gunvor and is estimated to be worth around £11.4bn. Several companies he is linked to are included in the US' hit list, including Russia's second biggest gas producer Novatek, investment group Volga and construction firm Stroytransgaz Group. 

 

Sergei Chemezov is the director of Rostec, a high tech state-owned corporation, which the EU claims is planning to build energy plants in the Crimea, and therefore benefiting from the annexation of the Ukrainian region. 

 

Igor Sechin, who heads up Rosneft, worked for Putin as his deputy chief of staff until 2008. According to the BBC he is believed to share “economic interests” with the President. Rosneft has been under sanctions since July. Vyacheslav Volodin, deputy chief of the Kremlin staff, is also affected. 

 

Yuri Kovalchuk is the largest single shareholder of Bank Rossiya and one of Russia's 100 richest men. He and Nikolai Shamalov – the second largest shareholder of the bank – are both long-time acquaintances of Putin according to the EU.  Many other shareholders of the bank are on the sanctions list. 

 

Putin's former judo partner Arkady Rotenberg and his brother Boris Rotenberg have provided support to the President's pet projects, including the Sochi Olympic Games. They are also connected to Gazprom, and own SMP Bank, which is under sanctions. 

 

Companies

 

Vnesheconombank (VEB) and Gazprombank – EU and US citizens are barred from providing financing to these two institutions

 

Kalashnikov Concern – one of eight defence firms to be affected

 

Almaz-Antey – blamed by the West for the missile system that shot down MH17

 

Dobrolet – budget airline, spin off from Aeroflot, has stopped flying between Moscow and Crimea since being hit by sanctions

 

Others: 

 

Alexander Zakharchenko –  Prime Minister of the breakaway (and unrecognised) Donetsk People's Republic

 

Dmitry Kiselyov  – Russian TV anchor known for anti-Western outbursts and homophobic diatribes

 

Vladimir Yakunin –  chairman of Russian Railways

 

Vladimir Kozhin – head of administration under President Putin