The sanctions target ”a further eight oligarchs active in these industries, which Putin uses to prop up his war economy,’’ a British government press release said.

Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), has been sanctioned by the British government, along with seven other Russian oligarchs, for his ties to Vladimir Putin, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced Wednesday ”a significant ratcheting up of UK sanctions on Russia following further reports of abhorrent attacks on civilians in Ukraine.’’

The package of sanctions includes the end all imports of Russian coal and oil by end of 2022 and action against oligarchs and key strategic industries, a government press release said.

The sanctions target ”a further eight oligarchs active in these industries, which Putin uses to prop up his war economy,’’ the statement said.

The statemlent lists the targeted oligarchs:
• Viatcheslav (Moshe) Kantor, the largest shareholder of fertilizer company Acron with vital strategic significance for the Russian government.
• Andrey Guryev – known close associate of Vladimir Putin and founder of PhosAgro – a vital strategic company that produces fertilizers.
• Sergey Kogogin, director of Kamaz – manufacturer of trucks and buses, including for the Russian military.
• Sergey Sergeyevich Ivanov, President of the world’s largest diamond producer Alrosa.
• Leonid Mikhelson, the founder, and CEO of leading Russian natural gas producer Novatek.
• Andrey Akimov, the CEO of Russia’s third largest bank Gazprombank.
• Aleksander Dyukov, the CEO of Russia’s third largest and majority state-owned oil producer GazpromNeft.
• Boris Borisovich Rotenberg, son of the co-owner of Russia’s largest gas pipeline producer SGM.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss declared: ‘’Today, we are stepping up our campaign to bring Putin’s appalling war to an end with some of our toughest sanctions yet. Our latest wave of measures will bring an end to the UK’s imports of Russian energy and sanction yet more individuals and businesses, decimating Putin’s war machine.”

In a reaction to the inclusion of Moshe Kantor on the British sanctions list, the European Jewish Congress  said it is is deeply shocked and appalled by the decision which, it said, ”is misguided and lacks any factual or evidence-based merit.”

The EJC added: ”Dr. Kantor is a British citizen who has lived for over three decades in Western Europe, many years of which has been in the UK. He is a long-standing and respected Jewish leader, who has dedicated his life to the security and wellbeing of Europe’s Jewish communities and the fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia.”

The EJC called ”for this decision to be reversed as soon as possible.”

Kantor is also the vice president of the Jewish Leadership Council in London.