Russian Olympic champions Sergey Chepikov, Vyacheslav Fetisov, Irina Rodnina, and boxing World Champion Nikolay Valuev were among the latest individuals and companies to be sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls (OFAC).
The newest OFAC sanctions targeted the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation – the Russian Parliament – and “328 of its members for their complicity in Putin’s war” in Ukraine.
Chepikov, Fetisov, Rodnina and Valuev are all members of the State Duma.
The State Duma passed a resolution in February asking Putin to recognise the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) as independent states, despite being part of Ukraine.
Putin justified the invasion of Ukraine by recognising the independence of the DNR and LNR.
“Russian Duma members supported the Kremlin’s efforts to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including through treaties recognizing the self-proclaimed independence of areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia’s proxies, known as the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR),” OFAC said in a statement.
“Today’s actions are being taken in pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14024, which authorizes sanctions against Russia for its harmful foreign activities, including violating core principles of international law, such as respect for the territorial integrity of other states.
“OFAC’s actions complement the ongoing efforts of our allies and partners to hold accountable all those responsible for furthering this unconscionable war of choice against Ukraine and its people.”
Each member of the Duma who was sanctioned was labelled in the document as being “leaders, officials, senior executive officers, or members of the Board of Directors” of the Government of Russia.
OFAC also sanctioned 48 Russian Federation companies that “facilitate Putin’s hostile campaign against Ukraine”.
Earlier in the month, Olympic ice dance gold medallist Tatiana Navka, who is married to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, was also sanctioned by the OFAC.
Chepikov is a former biathlete and cross-country skier who won gold at the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics for the Soviet Union as well as a second gold at the Albertville 1992 Winter Games for the Unified Team which represented the Commonwealth of Independent States.
This consisted of athletes from the former Soviet Republics, except for Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.
Chepikov also won bronze in 1988, a silver in 1992 and two more silvers at Lillehammer 1994 Turin 2006.
Fetisov is a two-time ice hockey Olympic champion, winning in Sarajevo in 1984 and Calgary in 1988.
He also claimed silver at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Games as well as claiming seven World Championships titles.
Rodnina is a three-time Olympic figure skater who won the pair category at Sapporo 1972, 1976 Innsbruck and at Lake Placid four years later.
Boxer Valuev was the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion on two occasions.
He ended his career with a record of 50 wins – 34 of which were knockouts – two losses and one no contests.
