CanadaMOSCOW, Apr 6 Canada imposes sanctions against nine Russians because of events in Ukraine , among them one of the main owners of Norilsk Nickel Vladimir Potanin, businessman Viktor Vekselberg, shareholder of Sibur Kirill Shamalov, head and co-owner of Novatek Leonid Mikhelson. The list published on the website of the Canadian government also included businessman Dmitry Pumpyansky, Galina Pumpyanskaya , businessman Alexander Vinokurov, chairman of the board of directors of Rusagro Vadim Moshkovich, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff (GRU) Igor Kostyukov. Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and , on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
