Biden to announce sanctions on hundreds of Russian lawmakers on Thursday

Source: The Hill

The Biden administration will reportedly sanction hundreds of Russian lawmakers in an extension of current sanctions on the Kremlin over its nearly month-long invasion of Ukraine.

The administration has prepared sanctions to be announced Thursday by President Biden on his upcoming trip to Europe, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Biden, who is traveling to Europe for meetings with NATO allies, will announce sanctions on Russia's lower house of parliament, known as the State Duma, in conjunction with announcements by the European Union.

The sanctions on the Russian State Duma will implicate more than 300 Russian lawmakers.

The U.S. and EU will also coordinate their announcements with members of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, composed of six Western countries and Japan.

The Duma is made up of 450 lawmakers and is joined by the 170-seat Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, to form the Russian Federal Assembly.

A committee of the State Duma approved a law this month that would impose penalties, including up to 15 years of prison time, for the distribution of "false news" about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The White House sanctioned Russian President Vladimir Putin for his command of the war last month and has since placed sanctions on a number of Russian political figures, including the spokesman of the Kremlin.