The six who are senior officials in Russia’s prosecution, judicial and correctional services, were targeted for their ties to the opposition leader’s death, as well as for enabling gross and systematic human rights violations against the Russian people.
“Alexei Navalny was a symbol of hope for the Russian people, who sacrificed his life in his fight for freedom, justice and democracy for Russia,” GAC told OCCRP. “Canada will join its international partners in holding those responsible for Navalny’s death to account, using all means available.”
Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the sanctioned individuals also sought to silence those who protested the Kremlin’s campaign against Navalny, which culminated in his poisoning, show trial, and eventual imprisonment, torture, and death.
Though Moscow said that he died of natural causes, the West believes that he was murdered as a warning to those who would challenge Putin’s hold over Russia, its people, and anyone advocating for an end to hostilities against Ukraine.
Among those now blacklisted by Ottawa are Vadim Konstantinovich Kalinin, Chief Warden of Penal Colony IK-3—the former gulag today known as the prison ‘Polar Wolf’—where Navalny died under suspicious circumstances.
Likewise, Igor Borisovich Rakitin, the Regional Head of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, is now deemed a persona non grata by the Canadian government.
Similarly targeted was Marina Andreevna Bobek, a senior official in Russia’s General Prosecutor's Office, who has prosecuted Russian citizens that have spoken out against Putin’s regime. Bobek is also linked to the sabotaging of the investigation into Navalny’s 2020 poisoning, which was scuttled and soon after buried by the Kremlin.
And Kirill Sergeevich Nikiforov, a judge of the Kovrov City Court of Vladimir Oblast, outlined the prison conditions that Navalny endured during his incarceration, which allegedly included torture and denial of live-saving medical care. Nikiforov has also ruled against defendants who opposed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
In late February, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sign a new strategic security agreement. In it, Canada agreed to provide CDN$3.02 billion (US$2.2 billion) in financial and military aid to bolster Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s continued belligerence.
The Canadian government also intends to support recovery efforts to help rebuild Ukraine, GAC told OCCRP. Canada has previously flirted with the idea of redirecting assets seized from sanctioned Russian oligarchs towards financing Ukraine’s reconstruction.
“It is the right of the Ukrainian people to determine their own future,” GAC told OCCRP; “Russia must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”