Canada has introduced new sanctions against a number of individuals and entities in Russia and abroad that are facilitating sanctions evasion. The sanctions also target over 200 vessels in the shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent existing restrictions.

The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sanctioned the following individuals previously featured in Trap Aggressor investigations:

• Vladimir Yevtushenkov – Russian oligarch and founder of the investment conglomerate Sistema. His holding includes the defense enterprise RTI Systems, which develops command, communications, and radio-technical equipment for the Russian military. Through subsidiaries such as Element and Angstrem, Sistema also produces microelectronics and components for a wide range of military equipment, from combat modules to air defense and nuclear weapon systems. Since 2021, Yevtushenkov’s companies, including Kronstadt and Aeromax, have also been actively developing and mass-producing military drones, such as the Orion and Termit UAVs, which are already being used in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
• Vladimir Lisin – One of Russia’s wealthiest oligarchs and owner of major enterprises including Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), First Freight Company, and First Port Company. His businesses consistently supply steel used in the production of Russian weaponry deployed in the war against Ukraine.
• Iskander Makhmudov – Russian billionaire and founder of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC). UMMC supplies copper powders to the Chapayev Mechanical Plant, which manufactures pyrotechnic relays, detonation cords, and explosive cartridges, as well as lead to Prometey, a contractor for Russian naval shipyards. Until 2017, Makhmudov was also a co-owner of the Kalashnikov Concern, a producer of firearms, precision weapons, combat modules, and drones.
• Radik Shaimiev – Shareholder of one of Russia’s largest private holdings, TAIF JSC, and a major stakeholder in the petrochemical giant Sibur. He maintains close ties to the Tatarstan government and Vladimir Putin. Companies within the TAIF group have supplied products to at least eight Russian defense enterprises.
• Mikhail Shelkov – Russian businessman. His company, VSMPO-Avisma Corporation, and its Ukrainian branch covertly supplied Ukrainian titanium raw materials to Russia both before and during the full-scale invasion. According to the Russian Accounts Chamber, Russia’s defense industry relied on Ukrainian titanium ores for more than 80% of its needs, underscoring the critical role Ukrainian titanium plays in sustaining Russia’s military-industrial complex. In February 2023, the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers transferred Shelkov’s assets in Ukraine to state management in response to his support for the aggression against Ukraine.
  

Also sanctioned by Canada:

• Lyudmila Ocheretnaya, Putin’s ex-wife, and her husband, Artur Ocheretny;
• Mikhail Shelomov, Putin’s nephew;
  Tatyana Yumasheva, daughter of Boris Yeltsin, and her husband, Valentin Yumashev;
• Anatoly Chubais, former head of the Russian nanotechnology company Rusnano;
• Karin Kneissl, former Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
  

Previously, Trap Aggressor reported on Ruspolimet JSC, one of the companies included in the current sanctions list, which trades in titanium. The investigation detailed how the Ukrainian-born Klochai family set up supply chains for key materials, including titanium, to Russia’s military industry via Europe.