Sydney – AFP
Australia announced Wednesday that it has imposed sanctions on eight security advisers to Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia’s “unjustified and unacceptable” invasion of Ukraine.
These measures come in the wake of decisions by the United States, Britain and the European Union to punish Russian entities in the wake of Putin’s decision to send soldiers to eastern Ukraine.
Members of Russia’s National Security Council will face a raft of sanctions, including a travel ban, and Australia will take action against Russian banks linked to the military.
“They are behaving like gangsters and bullies,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, predicting a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine “likely in the next 24 hours.”
Australia is a member of the Five Eyes Alliance for intelligence exchange, which includes the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
“Australians will always stand up to bullies, and we will stand up to Russia,” Morrison added.
Morrison also announced that it would speed up processing of 430 visa applications to Australia by Ukrainians.
In the same context, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also announced that his country intends to impose sanctions on Russia and individuals associated with the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Moscow.
Tokyo’s sanctions include a ban on issuing visas to individuals associated with the so-called “republics”, in addition to freezing their assets and preventing trade with the two regions.
“We continue to monitor the situation with great concern,” Kishida told reporters.
He added that Japan “strongly condemns” Russia’s actions “which violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and violate international law,” adding that further sanctions could be imposed “if the situation worsens.”