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Canada imposes fresh sanctions against Russia

22 June 2014 04:37 (UTC +04:00)

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the sanctions and travel bans against 11 Russian and Ukrainian individuals plus one additional entity in relation to Russia’s actions in Ukraine on Saturday.

Harper said in a statement that “Russia’s illegal occupation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine and provocative military activity remains a serious concern to the international community.”

Harper added that the new sanctions “will continue to increase economic pressure on those responsible for the crisis in Ukraine.”

The recently announced measures are in addition to Ottawa’s previous steps that included various political and economic sanctions against senior officials and some institutions in Russia and Ukraine.

The measures come as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military forces in central Russia on “full combat alert” for a snap drill on Saturday.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization described Russia’s move as an escalation of the crisis.

Earlier on Saturday, Russia filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization against the United States for imposing sanctions on the country over the Ukraine crisis.

Tensions between Russia and the West heightened after Ukraine’s Crimea region joined the Russian Federation following a referendum in March, in which almost 97 percent of the participants voted for reunion with Russia.

The move sparked angry reactions from the United States and the European Union, both imposing punitive measures against a number of Russian officials and authorities in Crimea.