Austria imposes new sanctions on Russia, Belarus

The Australian government has imposed new sanctions on Russian propagandists and disseminators trying to justify Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, as well as on politicians and security officials who support the aggression, the Australian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Eleven individuals and 12 organizations have been sanctioned for promoting Russian propaganda and disinformation, based on the measures taken against 32 propagandists in March 2022. 

Austria says that among those sanctioned are representatives of the Russian media industry who promote the false narratives of the Russian government.

“Australia is also imposing financial sanctions on organizations, including the Troll Factory, which produces and disseminates disinformation on the Internet, many of which are linked to Russia’s intelligence services,” the Australian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to them, among the sanctioned organizations and individuals is the private military group Wagner  which is described as the de facto private army of Russian President Vladimir Putin.