Biden announces more than 500 new sanctions on Russia

US President Joe Biden announced on Friday more than 500 new sanctions on Russia in response to the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and a day before the second anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.

"Today, I am announcing more than 500 new sanctions against Russia for its ongoing war of conquest on Ukraine and for the death of [Alexei] Navalny, who was a courageous anti-corruption activist and Putin’s fiercest opposition leader," Biden said.

"These sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny’s imprisonment as well as Russia’s financial sector, defense industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents. They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home," Biden said.

Kiev is preparing to mark the second anniversary of the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the early hours of February 24, 2022.

Helped by Western military, financial and military aid, Kiev is trying to claw back territory now controlled by Russia in the south and east.

The United States and other Western countries have already imposed extensive sanctions on Russia. The specific measures for the new US sanctions are expected to be published later in the day.