ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland has expanded its sanctions against Russia to include additional measures recently taken up by the European Union against Moscow over its ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the Swiss government said on Tuesday.
Pointing to a package of measures adopted by the EU against Russia on June 24, the Swiss economy ministry said in a statement that it would impose sanctions within its jurisdiction on a further 69 individuals and 86 entities.
These sanctions mainly target “businesspersons, propagandists, members of the armed forces and judiciary, persons responsible for the deportation of Ukrainian children” and members of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), it said.
The newly sanctioned entities include companies operating in Russia’s defence industry and firms in the financial and trade sectors involved in circumventing sanctions, it added.
This meant that more than 2,200 individuals and entities are now subject to the sanctions listings, the ministry said.
“This is in line with the EU,” the statement added.
The Swiss government said that it had placed an advertising ban on media outlets Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta “owing to Russia’s continuous propaganda and disinformation campaigns”.
In contrast to the EU, these media are not subject to a broadcasting ban in Switzerland, the ministry added.
The new measures would enter into force at 6 pm local time (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, it said.
(Writing by Dave Graham; editing by Miral Fahmy)