US sanctions 38 people and companies in Russia

[G.O.G]

The US Treasury Department announced Friday sanctions against 38 people and companies in Russia, for allegedly promoting malicious activities in the world, said the Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin.

The list of sanctions has seven entrepreneurs, 14 companies and 17 government officials who can not sign agreements with Americans and their assets in that country are frozen.

Among those sanctioned are the head of the International Affairs Committee of the Upper House of the Russian Parliament, Konstantin Kosachov, the country's interior minister, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, the former secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, the commander of the Guard Russian National ('Rosgvardia'), Víktor Zolotov, Russian Senator Suleiman Kerimov and former President of the Russian Government, Mikhail Fradkov, review RT.

Entrepreneurs include executives from Russian energy companies: the president of Gazprom Aléxei Miller and the general director of Surgutneftegas, Vladímir Bogdanov.

In addition, companies Rusal, Russian Machines, Basic Element, Renova and the Russian consortium Rosoboronexport are on the list.

"It is another unfounded, unfriendly and pointless step," said Kosachov, who believes that Washington is trying to "justify the absence of a real strategy and explain the supposedly legitimate nature of its sanctions in relation to Russia," AVN reported.

In turn, the deputy spokesman of the State Duma, Piotr Tolstoy, described these sanctions as "a step to nowhere", because he believes that "this method of influencing Russia will never give results and only worsen the already difficult relations."