Canada imposes new penalties on Putin's daughters, associates

TRENTON, Canada

Canada hit Vladimir Putin’s two daughters and the Russian president’s close associates with new sanctions Tuesday in response to Moscow's human rights violations in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly made the announcement, citing Russia’s continued military operations in Ukraine and Canada's steadfast belief that Putin should retreat from the beleaguered country.

“Canada continues to stand by the brave men and women fighting for their freedom in Ukraine," Joly said in a statement sent to Anadolu Agency. "We will continue to impose severe costs on the Russian regime in coordination with our allies and will relentlessly pursue accountability for their actions. They will answer for their crimes.”

The sanctions are against Putin's two daughters -- Mariya Vorontsova, 36, and Katerina Tikhonova, 35 -- and 12 Russian oligarchs and their family members.

The sanctions are levied against a backdrop of the opinions of experts from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that said earlier there is no doubt Russians are committing human rights violations and war crimes in Ukraine.

In a statement, Global Affairs Canada called Russian actions "serious atrocities. These actions demonstrate that Canada will not relent in holding Russian President Vladimir Putin and his associates accountable for their complicity in the Russian regime's invasion of Ukraine."

It did not rule out the possibility of more sanctions in coordination with its allies "to respond to the Russian regime’s barbaric acts."

In all, Canada has enacted more than 750 sanctions since Russia started war against Ukraine on Feb. 24.