In all the US has designated seven Russian oligarchs and 12 companies they own or control, 17 senior Russian officials, and a state-owned Russian weapons trading company and its subsidiary, a Russian

As a result, all assets subject to US jurisdiction of the designated individuals and entities, and of any other entities blocked by operation of law as a result of their ownership by a sanctioned party, are frozen, and US persons are generally prohibited from dealings with them. Senior Trump administration officials cast the penalties as part of a concerted and ongoing effort by the U.S. to push back Russian President Vladimir Putin's government, emphasizing that since Trump took office last year, the U.S. has punished 189 Russian-related people and entities with sanctions.Trump has continued to avoid directly criticizing Putin himself, and recently invited the Russian leader to meet with him, possibly at the White House. "Nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have," Trump said at a news conference on Tuesday.Rather than punishing Russia for one specific action, the new sanctions are in response to "the totality of the Russian government's ongoing and increasingly brazen pattern" of bad behavior, said the officials, who weren't authorized to comment by name and briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.The officials ticked through a list of activities they said had prompted the U.S. to act, including Russia's actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, cyber-hacking and attempts to subvert Western democracy.There was no immediate reaction from Russia's government.Many of the targets are individuals and businesses associated with Russia's energy sector, including those affiliated with state-owned Gazprom. Deripaska has been targeted with U.S. sanctions previously, but officials said those being announced Friday were more comprehensive.Many of the Russian oligarchs and politicians and affiliated businesses had already been identified by the Treasury and State Department as potential targets on a list that was compiled and published in January.The sanctions freeze any assets that those targeted have in U.S. jurisdictions and bars Americans from doing business with them. But the administration said it would give guidance to Americans who may currently have business with them about how to wind down that business and avoid running afoul of the sanctions.The Trump administration used a variety of legal mechanisms to implement the sanctions, including the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images

The sanctions are in part authorized under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA – the law that Congress passed overwhelmingly last summer and President Donald Trump begrudgingly signed and that his administration has been slow to implement, missing key deadlines in the past. Putin's government was blamed for the poisoning of a former Russian double agent living in close U.S. ally Britain last month, and the United States and several European states announced plans to expel more than 100 Russian diplomats in response.
The United States imposes sanctions on twelve Russian owned companies, a Russian arms exporter, and a bank. The U.S. cites multiple reasons, including Russian meddling in the 2016 elections and military engagements in Ukraine, Crimea, and Syria, among others.