U.S. issues fresh Russia sanctions, blacklists Putin's money manager

The United States has issued a fresh round of Russia-related sanctions targeting 17 individuals, including Sergei Roldugin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a U.S. Department of Treasury said in a notice on its website Thursday.

The United States placed Russian President Vladimir Putin's money manager and a Monaco company that provides luxury yachts to Moscow's elite on its sanctions blacklist Thursday, stepping up pressure over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Washington hit Sergei Roldugin, labelled "Putin's middle-man," Roldugin's opera singer wife Elena Mirtova, and Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova with sanctions, as well as several large yachts in which Putin allegedly has an interest, the Treasury said.

The latest sanctions also targeted 16 entities, seven vessels and three aircraft, the notice said.

The vessels in which Putin "has an interest" include the Russia-flagged Graceful and Cayman Islands-flagged Olympia, according to the Treasury Department. It said Putin "has taken numerous trips" on the boats, including a Black Sea trip in 2021 in which he hosted Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenko.

Their registered owners, including individuals and financial entities, have also been placed under financial penalties. Two other boats "linked to Putin," -- the Shellest and Nega -- were also sanctioned along with their owners.

God Nisanov, a real estate investor who is one of the wealthiest individuals in Europe, is being designated for his close ties to Russian officials, as is oligarch Evgeny Novitskiy, according to the State Department.

"Russia's elites, up to and including President Putin, rely on complex support networks to hide, move, and maintain their wealth and luxury assets," Brian Nelson, the Treasury Department's senior official for financial intelligence, said in a statement.

"Today's action demonstrates that Treasury can and will go after those responsible for shielding and maintaining these ill-gotten interests. We will continue to enforce our sanctions and expose the corrupt systems by which President Putin and his elites enrich themselves," he added.